


Just A Crush

by KammieCeleek



Category: DuckTales (Cartoon 2017)
Genre: 6teen inspired, Adoption, Arguing, Aunt Goldie, Awkward Flirting, Birthday Fluff, Broken Bones, Celtic Mythology & Folklore, Creepy Doofus Drake, Cuddling & Snuggling, Daisy's Nieces, Dancing, Denial, Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, F/M, Fairy Tale Curses, Family Feels, Family Reunions, Family Secrets, First Crush, First Job, Fixing cars, Gen, Hanging at the Mall, High School, Kidnapping, Louie is a sensitive boy, Love Confessions, M/M, Mean Girls, Mommy Issues, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Panic Attacks, Queen Bee, School Dances, Sharing an umbrella, Skater June, Skating, Teamwork makes the dream work, Teasing, Timeskip, awkward reunion, fake engagement, gen swap, going to the fair, spending the night
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-29
Updated: 2020-11-30
Packaged: 2021-03-08 17:34:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 44,472
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27260530
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KammieCeleek/pseuds/KammieCeleek
Summary: A series of one-shots in which Louie is definitely, absolutely, positively not crushing on June and she's definitely not feeling the same way.(Except he is and she does)
Relationships: Daisy Duck/Donald Duck, Drake Mallard/Launchpad McQuack, Huey Duck/Gosalyn Mallard, June Duck/Louie Duck, Lena (Disney: DuckTales)/Webby Vanderquack
Comments: 104
Kudos: 48





	1. The Fair (First Meeting)

"June!"

Daisy sighed as she made her way up to her niece's room.

"April and May are waiting downstairs and we're going to be late!" She opened the door to find June shoving a few items in her backpack. "June Bug, what are you doing?"

"Preparing for the fair. It's my biggest adventure of the year!" June's face was lit up, the excitement evident on her face. "Other than Halloween, of course, but that's already over!"

"Well, we're going to miss it if you don't hurry up. It's very important that we be fashionably late, not late, late."

"You say that everywhere we go."

"This is especially important. Today I'm meeting someone and I want to make a good impression."

"Your boyfriend?" She raised an eyebrow and Daisy crossed her arms. "Okay, I'm packed. Let's go!"

June leapt into the backseat of her aunt's car, taking her spot in the middle with April and May on either side. May rolled her eyes as Daisy started the engine.

"What's your boyfriend's name, Aunt Daisy?" inquired April, ever the 'girly girl' of the three.

"His name is Donald and he's very sweet. A little bit of a short fuse, but what duck doesn't have that?" She smiled at the trio in the rearview mirror. "You three can explore the fair for a little while, but we'll meet up later so you can meet Donald in person. We're all going out to dinner tonight."

Upon their arrival at the fairgrounds, they could see everything was in full swing. Daisy gave them each money to spend once she'd paid for admission and warned them to stick together before heading off to find Donald.

June, of course, ditched her sisters as soon as possible. It was an annual tradition since neither of the other two had any interest in adventuring like June did. She scurried around, people-watching and making her way up to the roof of one of the few permanent buildings.

"This is gonna be so fun…" she whispered.

Pulling out her binoculars, she swiveled around to keep an eye out for any kind of trouble. She could already see Daisy with a male duck in a sailor suit, and it appeared even Scrooge McDuck himself had come out for the fair this year. However, what really caught her attention was a group of shifty-looking individuals creeping around the edges of the fair. Not clowns (great googly moogly, how she hated clowns) but lowlifes who were going from attraction to attraction.

"Bingo. It's go time."

* * *

Louie was bored, pure and simple.

He and his brothers had never really gone to the fair before. They'd never seen a point when they already had Halloween as their annual adventure and now all their fun times with Scrooge and their mom. But this year Donald had insisted the family go so here he was. As he expected, all the games were rigged, all the rides were boring, and the food? He could take it or leave it.

That was before he caught sight of the girl in a purple jacket sneaking along. He made sure nobody was watching when he went to investigate. It turned out he went just in time as someone fired a net at the girl and he tackled her out of the way.

"Hey!" she protested. "What's the big idea?"

"Oh, how about saving you from some bad guy?"

"I don't need help. I do this alone."

"Okay, listen, I know it's fun to do it alone but it's better to have backup. What's going on?"

"Carnies rigging games, stuff like that. This happens every year and I take them down. It's actually kind of a game for us at this point. I don't know why they're launching nets. That's new."

"Maybe they want to win this year?"

"Pfft. It's not about winning. It's about having fun."

Louie rolled his eyes at this mysterious duck.

"So, what's your name, Purple?"

"My name is June. And you are?"

"Louie." He stuck out his hand. "Mind if I help you out? I'm bored."

"You've never been to the Duckburg Fair, have you?"

"Never saw a point, to be honest."

"Well… stick with me, Lou. We'll do well together."

She stuck to the side of the wall and Louie followed her lead as she snuck under the back flap of one of the tents. It was a milk-bottle game, and there was invisible tape behind the bottles. June reached into her bag and pulled out a pair of scissors that she handed to Louie. A second pair was produced for herself. At the same time they cut the tape and one of the attendees of the fair knocked over the bottles.

"I WON!" he yelled joyfully. The carnie gave June a mocking smirk as she and Louie slipped out the back.

"Wait, so they don't mind you doing this?"

"The bosses of the fair make them do it. They'd rather have the games go how they're meant to because it's more fun. So basically I get to have an adventure, they get to have fair play. It's a win-win."

"How is it an adventure?"

"It's the only one I get to have besides Halloween every year."

"Tell you what—we keep in contact and I'll take you on a real adventure sometime."

"You mean it?"

"Of course."

They shook on it.

* * *

Having a partner-in-crime wasn't so bad.

Louie was pretty good at sneaking around and following nonverbal cues. Together they undid all the rigging for the games until every game was as fair as it was meant to be. With that done, she still had a while until she met up with Daisy and suggested they walk around for a bit.

"…and then April smacked him with her purse. He ran off crying about how mean she was while I helped May back up."

"Sounds like you and your sisters are pretty close."

"I… don't have much of a family. Just my aunt and my sisters." Her smile turned into a frown. "I've never met my mom. My aunt says that Mom left us with her when we were eggs."

"I get that." He sat down on a bench and she sat next to him. "I'm the youngest of three brothers in a house with way too many people in it. It's why I'm looking to make it big one day."

"My aunt never pays attention to my hobbies. She just pays me an allowance so I can finance them. Like these." She reached down to one of her platform sneakers (Louie had been wondering) and pressed the logo. They turned into a pair of rollerblades.

"Cool!"

"Like those sneakers that just have wheels in the heels. I don't use these much, though. Only in testing them out."

"That's still pretty awesome."

"Thanks." She checked her phone. "Oh, I've got to meet up with my aunt. We're meeting her boyfriend today and she's been stressed about us making a good impression all week."

"Ha. I should go find my family. See ya, June."

They both hopped off the bench and were immediately caught in a net. A masked man rushed by and picked them up, running towards the largest tent at the fair. June struggled against the ropes while Louie sighed. Just another day in the life of his family. Their kidnapper set them down inside the tent, a dog man wearing a ringmaster's costume approaching.

"So, you're the brats who've been messing with my operation."

"The games shouldn't be rigged!" June spat.

"They're rigged to bring in more money, dear girl. Your little arrangement with my employees is over!"

"Let us go!"

"Wait, boss," the masked man who'd taken them spoke up. "The boy is related to McDuck."

_Uh-oh._

"Oh, wonderful! We can hold him and the girl for ransom to make up for all the money we lost!"

_Not good. Not good. Not good…_

"Take them to the cages!"

The two were dragged away and Louie could see guilt on June's face. His gut twisted in sympathy. They'd get out of this.

* * *

Meanwhile, the rest of the McDuck family was finishing up their rounds on everything. Donald's phone went off and he answered it immediately upon seeing Daisy's name on the caller ID.

"Hiya, Daisy!"

_"Donald, where are you?"_

"Not far from the meeting place."

_"Okay. One other question. How good is your family at tracking down a missing person?"_

"Who's missing?!"

_"My youngest niece, June. She went off on her own earlier and her sisters can't find her and—"_

"We'll find her, don't worry!"

_"Good. She's about the same age as your boys wearing a purple jacket with long hair in a ponytail."_

"I'll call you back if I find her."

_"Thank you, Donald!"_

_Click._

Donald swallowed nervously as he turned to Della, who was looking around in confusion.

"Della, what's wrong?"

"Where's Louie?"

Okay, that made this whole situation _ten times better_.

"One of my girlfriend's nieces is missing, too. She just called me to ask us to help look."

"You got it, Uncle Donald!" yelled Dewey, grabbing Huey and Webby and running off.

"Be careful!" yelled Della after them.

"They're not gonna—"

"I know. It just seemed like a mom thing to say."

Beakley and Scrooge spread out as well. Donald focused on getting to Daisy. She needed him as much as June and Louie did.

* * *

"This is so dumb."

Louie looked at June, who was nervously pacing.

"Will you stop? That's not going to help us get out of here!"

"It's my fault. I got us into this mess."

"First time being kidnapped?"

"How are you so calm about this?"

"Because I know my family. They'll start looking for me and trip face-first into this place, freeing us in the process and we'll live happily ever after until next time."

"You've… been kidnapped a lot, haven't you?"

"Not especially."

June sat down and sighed, leaning against the back wall.

"This is the worst fair ever."

"I didn't even want to come here today. But Uncle Donald insisted." June blinked and stared at him. "What?"

"Nothing, it's just… that's the name of my aunt's boyfriend."

"Donald? Wait, is your aunt named Daisy?"

"Yes! Oh my gosh!" She stood up with wide eyes. "You're one of the kids from the IT party that Aunt Daisy mentioned!"

"Well, now we know your aunt won't stop until you're back with her, too."

"I already knew that, but I thought freeing us would be the better—"

June fell back as the cage gave a lurch. They were being lifted into the air by some kind of crane. Below was the master of the fair, narrowing his eyes as he glared up at them with an evil smirk. Beside him were a few of the Beagle Boys. Louie rolled his eyes. Of _course_ they were here, too. That just made this whole thing that much more complicated.

"Keep an eye on the green one," Ma Beagle told the Fair-Master. "He's wily."

"What about the girl?"

"She ain't one of Scrooge's brats. Ain't worth lettin' go because she'll lead them right to us."

Louie looked to June, who still had her backpack somehow.

"You got anything in there to help me pick a lock?"

"Oh, yeah. Give me a second." She dug into it and pulled out a dime and a hairpin. "Here you go."

The cage was set down high above everything on a platform that only partially held the cage in the middle. If they tried to get out, they'd fall far down below. Louie was very uncertain. Without Webby's grappling hook, their chances of survival were lessened significantly. June's experience with adventure was so much less than his and his family's and she wasn't good at seeing angles like he was.

Still, he had her sit on one side of the cage while he worked at the lock. Her backpack sat in the middle to balance everything out. The lock came undone pretty easily (shoddy construction or cheap option) and he began to scan his surroundings to try and find an angle out. It was then that he took notice of the slopes below them. They were small tents, their tops forming steep ramps where they could slide down to the bottom…

Or… maybe skate down…?

* * *

"Miss Duck!"

Daisy whirled around as one of the carnies ran up to her, panting hard. She recognized him from the ring-toss game. Now wasn't the time to deal with him, though; June was missing.

"What is it?"

"Your niece—I know where she is! Master Fairway had her taken to the center ring!"

"Who?"

"The new owner of our fair. He's a nightmare. Please, take care of him!"

"Oh, I will." She started to leave, her temper starting to bubble under the surface but then he tapped her again. "What else?"

"There's another child with her—a boy wearing a green hoodie." Donald froze beside her and she could feel the anger boiling off him. "I overheard Master Fairway mention a ransom."

"I've got his ransom right here!" Donald spat.

"What?" The carnie tilted his head.

Before either of them could do anything else, they spotted Della and her remaining two sons brawling with a couple of the Beagle Boys. The whole fair was beginning to descend into chaos as more Beagle Boys rushed out onto the grounds and attacked the fairgoers.

"AUNT DAISY!"

April and May slid out of a tent and behind their aunt. Both appeared terrified of the Beagle Boys, as she'd expected, but her eyes were on the largest tent. Donald followed her gaze and his face turned red as his anger took over and he began screaming, running towards the center of the fair.

* * *

June swallowed as Louie held onto her.

"This seems like a bad plan," she commented.

"You got anything better?" He strapped her backpack onto his own back. "Hit the button and let's go!"

The cage began creaking as June hit the button on her skates. She was suddenly very grateful that the floor of the cage was solid. As their trapping pitched forwards, she and Louie started down the tent roofs, screaming. June and Louie each had a helmet strapped on (Louie's usually belonged to May) as they made their way closer to the bottom. As they did, June could feel her confidence returning. She turned her feet carefully, her instincts as a skater taking over. Louie was still screaming but she narrowed her eyes in determination as she did a jump and landed, using her skates to brake their landing.

"You can stop now," she told him. He opened his eyes, then they heard creaking up above. The cage was falling, taking the tents and poles with it… including the main tent pole. He clung to her harder as she leapt over the edge of the center ring and headed for the exit. It was blocked by a massive beagle who was glaring down at them with fury in his eyes.

"Ya ain't goin' nowheres," he growled.

Not far away they could see the Fair-Master throwing a switch. The tent rumbled as it began to rise off the ground. Louie fell off June's back and hit the button on her skates before she could roll away, causing her to fall beside him. The Fair-Master made his way over with the tent flaps sealing themselves shut.

"This is about more than undoing game riggings, isn't it," Louie stated flatly.

"Of course it is. I have one of the nephews of Scrooge McDuck himself, the richest duck in the world. With my ironclad defenses and my army behind me, I'll keep you here and Scrooge will pay handsomely to have you returned to him."

"What about me?" June yelped, trying to stand up.

"You? Well, I'll have a meddlesome saboteur kept locked away so she won't keep me from making money anymore!"

The Beagle who'd been blocking the exit picked up both of the kids—one in each hand—and brought them back over to another cage. This one was smaller with a lock on its top that looked much more heavy-duty than the one Louie had picked on the platform. Somehow it was even more complicated than the one on the cell doors back in St. Canard. June was grumbling to herself as they sat there and the Fair-Master cackled over the fair.

* * *

Daisy stared in horror as the tent continued rising.

"We need to get up there somehow!" she yelled. "June and Louie are up there!"

Della looked around and spotted a dinky little plane that was used for a 'thrill' attraction. She ran over and found that the keys were still there. The ride's operator had abandoned them in favor of fleeing. She managed to catch her brother's eye and he silently nodded.

"Della's going up in that plane," he told Daisy. "She'll get a look at what's going on and—"

"We need to crash it!" Launchpad called, running by and getting in the plane behind Della.

"Normally I'd disagree, but my son's up there and that guy needs to go down!"

They started the plane and Daisy watched as they headed upwards. She felt completely useless; she wasn't a fighter or an adventurer like Donald's family. The closest she'd ever come was that party where she'd met Donald in the first place…

Her eyes drifted to ropes that drifted from the top of the tent.

_No. No no no. Daisy, you can't…_

_But it's for June. Your niece._

"Girls, stay here. I'm going for June!"

Up in the air, Della tried to get a look inside the tent. Thankfully there were spots where she could see inside. Louie was in a cage with a female duckling she assumed to be Daisy's niece June. Her son was working at the lock without much success and June was kicking at the walls of the cage.

"That's where we need to crash. Are you ready?"

"Always ready to crash, Miss Dewey's Mom!" She let him take the controls and he headed straight for the big top.

* * *

Louie smirked as he saw his mother climbing from the wreckage of the plane.

"Let's go!" he told June. The crash had broken open the cage and they could actually get out now. Della and Launchpad were attacking the Fair-Master and the Beagle Boy.

"Where?"

"Through the hole!"

"Uh, I don't think there's a way out through there!"

"Trust me, there's always a way out!"

They ran to the edge, where Louie could once again see the ground. June hit the switch to bring it back down and she and Louie clutched each other's hands. He noticed she was scanning the ground. Below they could see his brothers with two other girls. Huey was yelling orders that Louie couldn't make out as the four grabbed a stray tarp and held it out. They leapt from the hole and down towards the tarp. The place was starting to crumble around Della and Launchpad, who followed not far behind.

_THWUMP_

Louie and June rolled off the tarp and went to hold it for Della and Launchpad as the two adults came down to join them. Everyone then ran from the big top, which finally fell to the ground with the Fair-Master and Beagle Boy rolling out after it. The cops had shown up and Detective Cabrera already had Ma Beagle in cuffs as more officers rounded up the carnies and Beagle Boys for questioning.

At the end of it all, once June and Louie had been interviewed by the police and the dust had settled, their families sat together at the entrance to the fairgrounds. Even Scrooge had shown up. To the relief of everyone involved, they were getting along and that was all that mattered.

They were almost to the limo when Louie realized he still had June's backpack. He rushed over to give it back just before she got into her aunt's car. She accepted it and smiled at him. Butterflies fluttered in his stomach, a funny feeling that he both didn't welcome and didn't hate.

He just knew it wasn't the last time he'd see June.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so a bit of explanation is required for this piece. I'll start with my headcanon.
> 
> Firstly, I had this idea that out of the triplets, Louie would be the first to have a head-over-heels crush. I was going to create an original character for this but then I did some digging and found out that Daisy has triplet nieces who, in the comics, are the girlfriends of Huey, Dewey, and Louie. Their names are April, May, and June. They have only appeared in animated form twice—once on "House of Mouse" where they took the boys' place on Ladies' Night and the other in "Legend of the Three Caballeros".
> 
> Tying into June's character, I'm trying to differentiate the girls from their male counterparts as much as possible. So in this, June is a girl who enjoys tinkering with mechanics and looking for adventure in her everyday life. April and May will get more development a little later but this was a June-focus for a first outing.
> 
> I know it sucked. But please bear with me as I have not written for this fandom before.
> 
> So long and thanks for all the fish!


	2. Ducklings & Dragons (Teasing Starts)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well that was unexpected.
> 
> I published this story super late at night and went to sleep, only to wake up to a whole lot of love! So I decided to go ahead and do a chapter I had planned. Well, I had a basic idea. Slightly shorter but next time will be a lot more fun.
> 
> This is inspired by the fact that I myself am a D&D newbie and I wanted to drag the kids down into it. For those of you who play, it's 5e basic Player's Handbook stuff, which is what I play with my guild (I joined one a couple months ago thanks to a café in my town that runs it). For those of you who don't play… you've heard of D&D.
> 
> I am using actual D&D terms, including the name of the game, races, and classes. It's more fun for me that way and I get the chapter out faster. I have a plan for next time and it should be fun to do.
> 
> Enjoy!

"Snacks?"

"Check!" Huey called as Webby marked it off. A massive tray of snacks sat on the table.

"Scary movies?"

"Check!" He held up their options.

"Board games?"

"Of course!"

"This is going to be the best sleepover ever!"

"What makes it different from every other sleepover we've ever had?" asked Louie, rolling his eyes as he messed around on his phone. "It'll start out normal, then supernatural stuff will happen and make it cooler and make it fun to remember. Or traumatizing."

" _Because_ we have three more guests than usual! April, May, and June are joining us so Daisy and Donald can go on a date!"

At the mention of the girls, Louie dropped his phone, eyes wide.

"You never told us that!"

"She did. When we planned this," Huey deadpanned. "I'm looking forward to getting to know them better. After all, if things work out with Daisy and Uncle Donald we'll be seeing them every day."

Neither Webby nor Huey noticed that Louie was suddenly very interested in making everything look perfect. The doorbell rang and Webby opened the front door to reveal Violet and Lena. Louie sighed in relief. June and her sisters wouldn't be joining them for a little bit, which meant he had plenty of time to mentally prepare…

Until literally two minutes later when there was another knock at the door. Donald rushed to answer it this time, dressed up for his date. There was Daisy with her nieces and Louie caught June's eye. She smiled, waving at him a little and those darn butterflies were back.

_Oh, phooey._

"Bye, girls," Daisy told the trio. "Behave yourselves and have fun. And May, don't drag them into that little game of yours."

"Little game?" May gasped, straightening her glasses. "It's not a little game! It's a worldwide phenomenon that's inspired literally thousands of—"

"May."

"Okay, it's a game. But it's a fun one!"

"We'll see you kids later!" Donald announced, closing the door behind them.

"So, uh, what's this game—" started Huey before Dewey came downstairs with Webby, both carrying dart guns.

"Who wants to play foam war?!" yelled Dewey.

"Not now. I was asking May about her game."

"Ooh, a new game?"

"No." April shook her head. "Don't get her started. She'll drag you down into it and you'll never leave."

"Just because _you're_ bad at it—"

"I'm not bad at it. You're just terrible at running the game."

May stuck out her tongue and Violet tilted her head.

"I too am interested in this game."

"Sure, whatever," Lena sighed.

"We need a big table," June explained. "Enough room for all nine of us to play."

"Follow me!" Dewey called, pointing the way. Everyone cheered but Louie and April. Louie glanced over at June, who looked excited.

"What is this game?" he asked.

"It's a pen-and-paper role-playing game May's been learning to play for a while now. You create a character and go on adventures."

"So like _Legends of LegendQuest._ "

"Kind of. Except instead of skill, you rely on seeing different angles on how to deal with a situation based on who you have in your party and the ever-fickle dice."

"Oh, so it's Dungeons & Dragons."

"Yeah. April hates playing because she always gets bad rolls."

May was in the dining room, setting up a large grid on the table in front of them. From her bag she pulled a long case and a divider, along with a couple of books and a lot of papers.

"Welcome, adventurers, to the world of D&D!" She held out her hands to the board and everything she'd set up.

"Ew, no," Dewey scoffed. "This is boring nerd junk."

"It's _fun_. You create a character who goes on epic quests with a team. It's, uh, all we really get to do. But there's spells and chance and high action."

"C'mon, guys," Huey encouraged. "We told May we'd try it."

"I'm only playing so we have another higher-than-level-one party member," April explained. "Other than June."

"I'm a level three Moon Druid," June explained, taking a binder from May. "That means I have shape-shifting and I can cast a variety of spells."

"I'll try it out," Louie spoke up, sitting down next to June.

Everyone else seemed to be willing to try it out and Dewey sighed, sitting down next to Webby. From there May helped them create their characters, everyone playing a different class and race for variety purposes. May handed out dice and it was time to start the game.

"You all wait within a large hall. There is a stage to one side, and nearby sits a wood elf and a half-elf. Suddenly, from seemingly out of nowhere, pops a man wearing long robes and sporting a long beard. He looks to all of you and speaks with a loud commanding voice." She took a breath and began speaking in an ancient-sounding voice. "Welcome, adventurer's, to our mighty guild—Golden Phoenix! If you choose to take on the quest I have for you, you will be embraced as full members. To my left is Lia Nightbreeze, our druid. To my right is Natali Marsk, our monk. They are the experienced members of our guild whom I am sending with you."

She cleared her throat again.

"Now, introduce yourselves as your characters and I'll send you on your quest."

"I'm Ideal, a Tiefling barbarian," Webby declared. "I reject my evil bloodline and choose to fight for the side of good!"

"Oh, um… my name is Rurik Torunn," Huey spoke up. "I'm a dwarf cleric who's looking to prove myself?"

"Verna Tealeaf, halfling sorcerer," Lena sighed, seeming bored. "I'm just here for backup."

"I am Mehen Yarjerit, Dragonborn bard!" Dewey yelled. "I'm here to kick some butt and play some music! And I'm almost out of music."

"My turn," Violet stated plainly. "I am Lilith Greene, a human paladin. I just want to improve myself."

"O-okay…" Louie double-checked his character sheet. "I'm Warryn Folkor, a gnome rogue. I'm just looking for treasure."

"That's pretty normal for a rogue," May told him. "Good pick, though."

"Are we starting or…?" Dewey grumbled, rolling his hands.

"Right. By the way, Dewey, Dragonborns introduce themselves clan name first, so you'd actually be Yarjerit Mehen. Just keep that in mind." Dewey adjusted his name on the character sheet. "Here is your mission. Not far from the guild hall, there is a cave full of monsters. Your job, should you choose to take it, is to go to that cave and bring back the head of the leader."

"What kind of monsters?" Webby inquired, narrowing her eyes.

"Goblins, mostly. They're pretty low-level on their own but in a group they're dangerous. Do you accept the mission?"

Everyone shrugged and nodded.

"Excellent." From the box she pulled eight detailed figurines and several four-sided dice. "These figurines are your characters. The d4s are the goblins. How you defeat them is up to you. Just know that at the end of it all you'll level up and be able to choose new things to have at your disposal. Now, magic star wipe to the entrance of the cave."

The figurines were arranged. Webby was bouncing excitedly as the dice were set out. There were at least two dozen of the four-sided dice and a big die that definitely had more than twenty sides. The largest number Louie could see was sixty.

"Is the big die the boss?" Huey asked.

"You don't see that—at least, your characters don't." She tapped the black on the board. "These are walls. Your characters can't see the big boss. Thankfully you haven't been noticed by the goblins yet, so what do you all do?"

June opened her mouth to speak but Dewey beat her to it.

"I rush in and attack the first goblin I see with my fire breath!"

"Are you sure? It's one use only until you recharge it through resting."

"Okay, so not my breath. How about my longsword?"

"Straight into combat. Okay. Thanks to Mehen's yelling, the eight goblins closest to the entrance notice you all immediately and… roll for initiative!"

"What does that mean?" Webby gasped.

"That means roll a d20 to decide your order of combat. Highest number goes first."

"Can I roll the sixty?"

"No."

Everyone rolled their dice.

* * *

After fighting their way through thirty goblins and a few hobgoblins, they found themselves at the end of the cave facing the big boss and two hobgoblin minions. Everyone was really into it now, even Dewey. But hey, that's the beauty of the bard for you, even if they're low-level and don't think about their actions.

Louie, on the other hand, was doing really well. The game _was_ fun when it came to his strategies. One method failed and he tried another that usually worked. June's elf, now transformed into a brown bear, was kicking all sorts of butt and he couldn't help but grin at how cute she was when she made bear noises while she attacked some hapless goblin and practically bit its head off. His brothers didn't fail to notice it and glanced at each other with slight smirks that Louie didn't see because he was focused on helping June fight one of the hobgoblins. It went down easily and Webby was facing the other.

"I use my greataxe to try and cleave the orc's head off!" yelled Webby excitedly, rolling her die.

"NAT 20!" May cheered. "Roll for damage!"

Webby did and May nodded.

"It's down and the head is chopped clean off!"

Everyone cheered and then she began cackling.

"Foolish warriors," she growled in a deep voice. "You may have slain my best warriors but you will not best me! For I am the great bugbear Groth!"

"We'll take you down," Lena declared.

Unfortunately, it seemed like what luck the party had so far had dwindled and they were getting a series of bad rolls. It was all they could do to dodge what Groth was throwing at them and then Louie had an idea.

"Dewey, try your breath attack!"

"Okay! I use my fire breath on Groth!" He rolled his die. It was a 19.

May picked up some dice in her hand and rolled. She grinned then had a snarl on her face.

"You stupid dragonborn! How dare you defy me!"

"My turn!" Violet declared, smiling. "I use my sword and aim it straight for Groth!"

Her roll? An 18. The damage, however, was enough!

"NOOOOOO!" May fell back and began making choking sounds before sitting back up. "You defeated him! Now, who's taking his head back to the guild?"

"I think Lilith should take it," Huey commented. "She's the one who killed him."

"Whatever," grumbled April, clearly not into the game.

"Very fair, young cleric. Lilith chops off the head of Groth and you all travel back to the guild where Master Fredrich greets you."

"Hello, Master Fredrich," Violet stated. "We have all brought you the head of Groth."

"Thank you, Lilith. And to all of you, I extend a hearty welcome to Golden Phoenix, guild of heroes!"

The kids began clapping and cheering. June hugged Louie, the force of her launching herself at him causing them to fall to the floor. Everyone started to laugh as they helped May pack up the game.

"We'll have to play again sometime," Lena commented to May. "It wasn't as bad as I thought and being a sorceress with a different skillset was fun."

"Wow, it's almost ten," Huey commented, checking his phone. "When did we start playing?"

"You get into a game you lose track of time," May giggled.

They'd been fortunate enough to have Mrs. Beakley bring them dinner while they were playing. She'd been silent while doing so, not wanting to interrupt the flow of play to announce her presence. Now it was time to do something else.

While the girls ran upstairs to change into their pajamas, Huey and Dewey stopped Louie.

"Hey, do you like June?" Dewey asked their youngest brother.

"Of course I like her. She's our friend."

"No, he means like her, like her," Huey clarified.

"No way! Gross!" He shoved his hands in his pocket and ran to go join the others upstairs.

"Louie has a crush," Dewey stated bluntly.

"Louie definitely has a crush," Huey agreed.

"We tease him until he admits it?"

"Yep. We tell Webby so she can join in?"

"Yep." They fist-bumped and went to join the other kids upstairs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Someone asked for everyday adventures and there's no everyday adventure more exciting for me than a fun round of D&D! If you guys like this idea I may expand it into a whole other thing in and of itself. By the way, if June's seemed the most fleshed-out, it's simply because her character is basically... mine. Different name but same abilities and preferred Wild Shape (druid shape-shifting ability).
> 
> Next time we'll be stepping outside the mansion and sending everyone on another small adventure. I'm saving a big one for the fourth go-round. I hope you all enjoyed my limited D&D knowledge and the chapter, even if most of it was pretty boring basic stuff.
> 
> Yes, May is the role-playing nerd. April is not too enthusiastic about her sisters' interests but she still supports them. We'll get her contribution soon, I promise.
> 
> So long and thanks for all the fish!


	3. The Princess's Chest (First Big Adventure)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Original plan for chapter three went blocked so I saved what I had and decided to start over.
> 
> So this time we're not staying in Duckburg while I work out some kinks and instead we're diving into one of my favorite subjects: myths and folklore! And since this is Halloween (as of this writing), I'm going to celebrate that by bringing in some… fairy tales. But know this much—I know some dark stories. As such the story that the treasure comes from is pretty grim (not from the Brothers Grimm, mind you) and I'll tell the basics of it without mentioning too much detail because it's actually pretty gory. Whatever. Let's go.

Daisy fidgeted nervously as the Cloudslayer was packed up.

She'd finally relented to letting her nieces go on an adventure with Scrooge and the others. Della was the one flying and Donald was going along, too. Those had been the conditions that she'd laid down to allow the girls to go, along with making Scrooge promise to keep the girls safe at any cost. He'd agreed begrudgingly when June had begged him to let them come. Keeping seven kids in line was not what he'd wanted to do but April and May were fairly obedient kids. June was the wild card.

"Don't worry, Aunt Daisy," the youngest of the sisters assured her aunt. "We'll be safe with Mr. McDuck."

"I hope so. I love you girls." The trio hugged her before getting onto the plane and she grabbed Donald by the shirt as he passed her. "Donald, if anything happens to them—"

"Nothing's gonna happen, I promise. I've been on hundreds of adventures with Uncle Scrooge and he won't let them get hurt."

"Okay. I'm a little protective…"

"Protective is good." They hugged and she kissed him on the cheek. He stumbled onto the plane while the kids snickered and Della started the engine.

"So, where are we going?" Huey asked Scrooge as they lifted into the air.

"Denmark. We're going to find a special item called the Princess's Chest. It'll be a fairly tame adventure for a first time out."

"What's special about it?" May inquired.

"Well, I'm afraid I don't know much, lass. Supposedly it was haunted long ago by a curse, but the curse was broken and now it's a normal chest."

April raised an eyebrow; clearly she didn't believe him.

"Della, ya have our course?"

"Yep! Everyone get settled!"

June hopped onto the seat next to Louie and his face turned slightly pink as she smiled at him. Huey, Dewey, and Webby glanced at each other with mischievous grins. Webby had been told about Louie's crush the morning after that sleepover and she'd been glad to be invited in on the teasing. The only limitation she'd been given by Huey and Dewey was that she couldn't try to get them together because they were too young for dating, which she'd agreed to. Now was a chance to go full-force on the teasing.

"So, uh," Louie started, "how are your skates?"

"Oh, good. I'm trying to figure out a way to make them more aerodynamic and less clunky."

"I thought they were pretty good already."

"Well, yeah. They helped save us a little back at the fair." She took off one of her shoes and hit the button. The skates were different, but not by much. The wheels were slightly thinner now.

"Maybe you could make me a pair once you figure it out. I think they'd be a good product for Louie, Inc."

"What's Louie, Inc.?"

"It's my company. I wanna be rich like Scrooge one day and I need to figure out a way to start."

"You're gonna have to help me fund the skates, then. These weren't cheap to make."

"Hm. True." He tapped his chin and Dewey slid into view.

"Cool skates, June!"

"Thanks. I made them myself."

"Can I try them?"

"In a moving plane. In the air."

"Yeah!"

"No. I'm still working out some kinks, like the trigger mechanism. It can be a bit fiddly."

"Let me take a look!" Huey begged. He took the seat to her other side and she handed him the skate/shoe.

"I've been working on them for a while."

"I'd say you have. They look kinda worn out in the shoe part." Dewey rolled his eyes. "You have a way for me to take them apart?"

"In my backpack. I carry a small repair kit but any big changes have to be made back home."

"Ah. Smart."

April sighed and went over to Dewey, grabbing his arm and pulling him away from the others.

"You picked up on your brother's crush on my sister, didn't you."

"Yep. You figured it out."

"Between me, May, and June, I'm the most emotionally mature and the best at reading people. Louie's pretty good at hiding it, though."

"We're just teasing him."

"Yes. I can see that." She crossed her arms. "Just… don't embarrass my baby sister, okay?"

"Okay. We're only planning to embarrass Louie."

"Good. And I'll help."

Webby, meanwhile, had noticed that May was reading a book titled _Green Fairy Book_ with a furrowed brow. She hopped up next to her.

"What's up, May?"

"Hi, Webby." She held up the book. "I thought the story sounded familiar, so I decided to dig into a few of my fairy books."

"And…?"

"Nothing yet. There's twelve volumes of them in just the color books alone. Not to mention the thirteen others. And I only have the twelve color books."

"Huh. Mind if I look with you? I've never seen these."

"They're fascinating. Andrew Swan did research on folktales and myths and stories from all over the world and collected them alongside his wife."

"Cool!" Webby took the one called _Red Fairy Book_ and began to thumb through it.

* * *

Hours passed on the plane until they finally touched down in Denmark. Upon disembarking it was a bit of a drive out to the ruins. Thankfully it was a fairly smooth drive and they soon found themselves standing among the stone columns and broken-down buildings. April and Louie both appeared rather uninterested as May kept her nose in her copy of _Blue Fairy Book_.

"This is it," Scrooge sighed, looking at one of the larger buildings. "This is the old palace. Attached to it is the chapel where we'll find the chest. Are ya ready?"

The kids cheered and Scrooge opened the doors to reveal another place that seemed just on the verge of collapsing. They spread out to get a better look around as May sat down on one of the crumbling pews to read from another book. June and Louie together approached a large white box that sat in the middle of everything.

"Ew, maybe it's a coffin," giggled June.

"Maybe. Dunno why it's white."

"Well, coffins of children during medieval times were white when they could be afforded," Huey pointed out.

"I'm gonna open it!" Dewey yelled. He reached for the lid and pried it open to find… nothing. Not even bones. He pouted in disappointment.

"This thing's a bust," Louie grumbled.

"Yeah, this whole trip's a bust," April sighed, leaning against the altar nearby. It crumbled behind her back and she yelped, standing upright as it revealed a hidden tunnel.

"Good job, April!" Scrooge complimented, coming up behind her. "Let's see what's down here. Tunnel's bound to lead somewhere."

"Great…" She dusted off her yellow blouse and skirt and followed the others down the tunnel. Except May and Donald, both of whom stayed behind. May hadn't noticed thanks to being engrossed in her book and Donald was staying to keep an eye on her. Scrooge could handle the other kids.

Webby fumbled in the dark and pulled out her phone, turning on the flashlight and shining it around. The tunnel was long and winding, centuries old. Perfect for hiding treasure. They walked along, looking around for anything of note. She could tell Dewey was getting bored with all the walking in the seemingly normal tunnel.

Seemingly.

April stubbed her toe as they went and she let out a yelp.

"Stupid rock!" she snapped.

"You okay?" Louie inquired.

"No, I'm not okay! I just stubbed my toe on a stupid rock." June reached down and picked up the rock and her eyes went wide.

"Webby, shine your light over here!" Webby did and they could see that it wasn't a rock at all.

It was a skull.

"GROSS! GROSS GROSS GROSS!" wailed April.

"Calm down, it's just a skull," Dewey scoffed. "It's not like it's a fresh corpse."

"It _used_ to be a fresh corpse!" Scrooge took the skull and nodded.

"It's old enough. We must be gettin' close. There was an awful lot of death surroundin' the chest."

"On second thought, I don't think I want to be on this adventure anymore!" squeaked April. "Next time you can count me _out_!"

On the last word she stamped her foot and hit an unseen trigger. The floor opened up beneath her and June grabbed for her sister's hand on instinct. Louie rushed to help her but all three fell down the newly-opened pit that closed behind them.

"NO!" yelled Scrooge and the other three kids.

"Find the mechanism!" he instructed them. "We have to follow them!"

* * *

"Ugh…"

It was completely dark. Louie couldn't even see his hand in front of his face. He could, however, feel someone on top of him. They were fairly light but it was still a lot of weight. Carefully he pushed them off and he heard June groan.

"I am _definitely_ never going on one of these trips again," April said somewhere nearby. "This is so gross."

"Hey, you're the one who triggered the pit trap!" Louie spat back at her. "June, you okay?"

"I'm fine," his fellow youngest triplet replied. "Does anyone have a light?"

"I figured you'd have something in that big backpack of yours," April mumbled.

"Oh, right." June began digging around in the dark and she let out a triumphant, "YES!"

She turned on a flashlight and began shining it around them.

The walls were _packed_ with skeletons. April gagged and covered her mouth with her hand while scooching closer to her little sister. Louie felt the same discomfort; this was a _lot_ of remains, even for someone who'd faced down Toth-Ra. Death was an uncomfortable subject. June didn't seem afraid, though, and she shone it to reveal even more of a tunnel that was also lined with skeletons. She staggered to her feet.

"Let's go," she told the others. "There's got to be a way out up ahead."

"This is beyond disgusting. You know that?"

"Yes, April. I know you hate creepy things. Why do you think I never do movie marathons on Halloween like I want?"

Louie's eyes drifted to one of the skulls and he noticed that it had a number and an arrow carved in its forehead right before June took the light off it.

"Wait. Go back," he told her. She obeyed and he checked it. It was a three and an arrow pointing left. "Can I borrow the flashlight?"

Shining it around the room proved that more skulls held more numbers. June pulled out a notebook from her bag and began writing them down in order from one to seven.

"What does it mean?" she asked.

"I think it's a clue as to how we get out of here. The numbers are the order and the arrows are directions. See?"

"Which means the tunnel that we were in before is a dead end," April finished, staggering to her feet. "This tunnel has an exit."

"Aw, man, Uncle Scrooge is gonna be so mad…"

"Forget your uncle. Let's get out of here and get back to the chapel."

The trio began to follow the directions down the rock-and-bone passageway.

* * *

Back in the chapel, May had finally found what she was looking for.

"Oh, no," she whispered.

"What's 'oh, no'?" Donald asked worriedly.

"The Princess's Chest isn't a chest at all. It's a coffin. And dwelling inside is the princess herself, rising from it at night to kill those who watch over her tomb!"

"But that's not true anymore, right?"

"I don't know! I didn't think this story was true!"

"We have to tell the others!" She nodded and they started down the passageway, running to try and make it before night fell. It was getting close.

Finally they ran into Scrooge and the kids… minus April, June, and Louie.

"Donald, May!" Scrooge gasped. "What are ya doin'?"

"We need to get out of here," May explained. "The Chest is a coffin and we aren't safe as long as we're in the chapel. The princess who was kept inside rose from it at night to kill her guards and their bodies were never found."

Webby's eyes went to a skull that sat on the floor.

"Uh-oh," May whispered.

* * *

Down below, the three who were separated from the others found themselves in a large room that was still made of rock and bone. In the middle sat a large coffin, made of fine white marble with torches burning on either side. June shut off her flashlight as she and Louie approached it. April hung back, then her eyes went to paintings on large flat stones on the wall. One depicted a man and a woman on a pair of thrones with an empty one between them. Then there was a picture of the woman sobbing. Next was an old woman talking to the young one and the young one eating something. More pictures—the younger woman blindfolded, a beautiful little girl running around a garden while the man and woman stood on the other side of a wall, the man bursting into the girl's room, the girl… lying in a _white marble coffin_.

And, most chillingly of all, a monster with thick black fur, wide horns, and sharp claws and teeth, standing over mountains of bones and facing down a young man with a terrified expression.

_This must be where all the bones came from!_

"I think we should leave this alone," she stated, backing towards June and Louie. "I don't think it wants to be disturbed."

Louie's eyes scanned the room until he spotted a small passageway. He nodded; this was a tomb and it shouldn't be disturbed. Together they made their way down to where there was a hidden ladder. It was dark, and June had her flashlight, but it began to flicker as a horrible screeching came from the chamber they had just left. They climbed faster and heard something coming as they emerged. It was the same tunnel they'd fallen through. June and Louie grabbed the stone they'd moved to get up and threw themselves onto it, holding it down just as the beast hit the seal.

 _"HOW DARE YOU?!"_ it shrieked in a female-sounding voice.

"Sorry!" April yelled. "It was an accident!"

They could hear rapid footsteps coming from down the hall. Around a bend came Scrooge and the others. Huey and Dewey wasted no time in joining Louie and June on top of the stone.

"What is that thing?!" May screamed.

"A monster!" June yelped as the impact of the monster against the seal caused her to fly up a little.

"We need to seal it off somehow!" Webby insisted, digging into her own backpack.

"I say we all lay on top of it until morning instead of messing with magic!" Dewey suggested. "That'll get rid of it, right?"

"Temporarily," May squeaked. "Only until tomorrow night. But we'll be gone by then."

"Please, oh great and merciful powers that be, please let us live and banish this thing!" April whispered.

Unbeknownst to her, a magic rune glowed on the other side of the rock and as soon as the beast made contact, it recoiled. The magic grabbed ahold and pulled it back towards its resting place.

The screeching and thumping died away and they were able to get off the stone.

"What happened?" Huey inquired, confused.

"I don't know," April replied.

"Whatever happened, we'd best get out of here before it comes back," Scrooge warned. "Come on!"

They ran out of the tunnel and back out to where the car was still parked. Della had volunteered to stay back with the plane, so Scrooge hopped into the driver's seat as the kids filed in.

While everyone else celebrated their victory, April stared at her hands. Nothing had stopped the beast until she herself had spoken it into banishment. Was… was she magical? Like Lena? Or was this just a lucky coincidence?

She had no idea.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some light teasing, fun action, and an adventure based on the story of "The Princess in the Chest" from Andrew Lang's "Pink Fairy Book". Look it up because I can't do it justice in my own summary.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed your Halloween treat!
> 
> So long and thanks for all the fish!


	4. Competition (Negaduck Crashes the Party Like He's Launchpad)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That feeling when you have an idea and put your plans on the back burner.
> 
> Last chapter didn't do too well (no reviews) and so I decided to work a little more on writing these characters. I'm not used to have existing characters I have to build from the ground up because they don't work otherwise. Anyway, have some Louie and June with bonus Doofus Drake being a creep.

The sun shone down brightly over Duckburg.

It was a beautiful day, one that anyone would be outside enjoying by choice. But not Louie Duck. No, Louie was out there because his family had dragged him off the couch and into the limo. Now he was at the skate park, where there was an event going on. Della was announcing for it alongside Huey, but the reason why they were there was a mystery until his uncle's girlfriend appeared from around a corner with two of her three nieces in tow. May was carrying a box and April looked half-asleep.

"I'm so glad you could all make it," Daisy thanked Donald, taking his hands in hers.

"It's a chance to all spend time together," he agreed, nodding. "Had to pull Louie away from the TV, though."

"I'm surprised you didn't tell him why you're all coming out here!" May chirped, setting her box down.

"What's going on?" Louie asked.

"June's competing today and she needs a cheering section. Usually it's just me, April, and Aunt Daisy."

"I was wondering where she was," Dewey spoke up.

"We dropped her off at registration and came over to wait for you guys," Daisy explained.

"I made T-shirts!" May reached into the box and pulled out a shirt that said 'JUNE' in big white letters. Dewey and Webby each took one immediately and April leaned against the box, her eyes falling closed.

"What's up with April?" whispered Dewey to May.

"She's part of our school's drama club and they have a big show coming up. She stayed up late reading over lines."

"Ah."

Once everyone had their shirts they headed into the stands. Della and Huey were at the announcer's table and Louie waved at them. They waved back and his eyes went over to where the contestants were waiting. June was there, decked out in pure purple padding and her signature jacket nowhere to be seen. But then his gaze went to behind her, where the last person he wanted to see within a hundred feet of her was standing.

_Doofus Drake._

* * *

As June leaned down to adjust her laces, she felt a dark presence.

Her bangs went up as someone behind her inhaled. A shudder rippled down her spine and she turned to see a rather overweight boy wearing glasses and complete padding. His stare at her was blank and made her slide backwards a bit. Her back hit the fence and she grimaced.

"Hello," he greeted her. "My name is Doofus Drake. Who might you be, fair one?"

"J-June. June Duck."

"Why is one such as you competing, Juniper?"

"My full name isn't—never mind." She shook her head. "I love skating and this isn't my first time competing. I've never seen you before, though."

"Up until recently I had no reason to compete in things such as this. But thanks to that meddling fool Llewellyn…" He let out a growl and she began to slip away.

_Great googly moogly, he's creepy. And who the heck is Llewellyn?_

"Oh, Juniper, I think you should drop out now." His hand fastened around her wrist—as much as it could in the clunky guards he had, anyway. "You are surely going to lose this competition and make a fool of yourself."

"That's for _me_ to decide, not you." She wrenched herself away. "Besides, I have years of experience and I know how this competition works."

"But I doubt you have my level of wealth, dear Juniper. And wealth has bought me the most top-of-the-line equipment in existence."

"You can't buy skill."

Doofus sneered over her and she slipped further down the line, making sure to hide behind her fellow skaters before looking towards the stands. There were her sisters, her aunt, Donald, Webby, Dewey, and Louie. Della and Huey were at the announcer's table.

_You got this, June. Just focus on winning and ignore the creep._

* * *

"Aw man, poor June."

"Why poor June?" May asked Louie. April was asleep on June's backpack with a blanket over her.

"She's competing against the creepiest guy I know—Doofus Drake. And it looks like he's interested in her."

"Louie, listen, June's going to wipe the floor with him because she's the best. She's only competing to prove it to everyone else."

"Hey, guys!" they heard a voice greet them. Walking up to them was Launchpad followed by his buddy Drake Mallard. Dewey stared at them in confusion.

"Hey LP, Drake. What brings you guys here?"

"Gosalyn's competing," Drake replied. "As her temporary guardian it's my job to come cheer her on."

"Great, now who do I root for—Gos or June?"

"You could cheer for both," Launchpad suggested. "Nothing's stopping you."

"In that case I'm not wearing the shirt." He turned to his fellow middle child. "Sorry, May."

"It's fine. Sounds like Gosalyn could use a cheering section of her own."

Drake yawned. He'd been up late crime-fighting the night before, most likely, but he wouldn't let that stop him from coming out here. Temporary guardian or no, he was a true supportive parent. Dewey wouldn't have been surprised if his buddy from St. Canard had accidentally called him 'Dad' before.

"Welcome, everyone, to the thirty-third annual Duckburg Junior Skating Competition!" Huey said over the loudspeakers. Gosalyn zipped up right beside June behind the fences. "We've gathered the best of the best among Duckburg's youngest citizens and today we'll see just what they can do. I'm Huey Duck and I'll be your announcer for this event."

"And I'm Della Duck, his co-anchor," Della added.

"First up we have a newcomer to this competition. Please welcome the wealthiest child in Duckburg—Doofus Drake."

June shuddered as Doofus blew her a kiss before heading out onto the half-pipe.

"He's so creepy," she whispered to the redhead beside her.

"I know, right?" the redhead chuckled. "I'm Gosalyn."

"June."

Their eyes went towards the center, where Doofus was failing spectacularly but at the same time making it look like every flub and blunder was on purpose and part of his routine. The judges gave him a decent score—a seven, a nine, and another seven. Della had her eyes narrowed but didn't say a word.

"And that was Doofus Drake with a first-round score of twenty-three," Huey stated. "Impressive for a newcomer, I must say. Next up we have Bully Beagle, last year's runner-up!"

June frowned. Bully Beagle constantly picked on May for her nerdy interests and he picked on her for her interest in skating. Unlike her, however, he was using a skateboard. Gosalyn was watching with disinterest and her eyes drifted over to the stands. They widened and June gave her a look.

"What's wrong?"

"I just… I didn't expect to see someone in the audience."

"Who?" Gosalyn gestured to a guy in a pink plaid button-down shirt.

"He's my temporary guardian. My grandpa went missing a while ago and I'm living with him until we find my grandpa."

"So he's like your dad?"

"Yeah. I think if I accidentally called him Dad once he'd almost snap his neck from turning his head so fast. It would be kinda funny but kinda embarrassing."

"I call my aunt Mom sometimes. She thinks it's cute."

"Guess we're pretty similar, eh?"

"Oh, I dunno about that."

"Bully Beagle finishes his run with a first-round score of twenty-four!" Huey announced. "Truly impressive, folks. High scores right out of the gate!"

"That's right, son," Della agreed. "It wasn't like this when I was a kid, I can tell you that."

"Next up we have another newcomer to the competition—Gosalyn Mallard-Waddlemeyer!"

"Good luck, Gosalyn!" June whispered.

"Thanks."

Gosalyn headed out onto the half-pipe.

* * *

Below their feet in the sewers, there sat a lone figure. As he listened to the goings-on above his head he let out a chuckle at the name 'Mallard'. He knew that name. It was that upstart who'd stolen his identity, his fame, his glory. That little hack was going to get what was coming to him. Quietly he began to move towards the surface, homemade weapon in hand.

He wasn't stupid enough to attack on his own, mind you.

He had a couple of agents in the crowd who confirmed that his poor brainwashed fan was there alongside the imposter. He straightened his bright red hat as he headed outside the sewer and smelled the disgustingly-clean air of McDuck Park. They'd see. They'd all see soon enough.

In a quick movement he sent a signal to his hired hands in the crowd. They moved into position. This was his debut as the bad guy, his chance to name himself as the false Darkwing Duck's nemesis for all time. Jim Starling had gone from hero to villain, and honestly enough he relished the role even more.

* * *

"Gosalyn Mallard finishes with a twenty-seven! Wow, it's gonna be hard to beat that, folks!"

"Tell me about it," snorted Della.

"Well, now we have last year's champion—June Duck!"

June headed to her spot after Gosalyn wished her luck and prepared to head down the half-pipe. Before she could move, however, smoke filled the air at the center. It was bright purple and for half a second she thought her sisters were trying to cheer her on with the color. But that wasn't like April or May.

"What's this?" Huey gasped.

"I dunno, Huey!" Della replied.

_"I am the horror that flaps in the night. I am the monster hiding in darkness waiting to strike. I am…"_

The smoke disappeared and there was a person dressed in a yellow and red Darkwing Duck costume.

_"Negaduck!"_

Screams rang out as a bunch of thugs began to attack people in the stands. June headed back down and skated over to Gosalyn. Together they made their way over to where their families were waiting.

"We have to go!" Donald and Drake said in unison.

"But Drake—" started Gosalyn.

"Let's get to the _car_ ," Drake told her. Her eyes widened and then she nodded.

"Wait, where's April?" Daisy gasped.

"Wasn't she with us?" Louie asked.

"Huey and Mom aren't here, either!" Dewey pointed out.

"I'm going back in!" Donald yelled, rushing for the stands. "You kids get to safety!"

"Nuts to that!" June hissed, trying to follow before her aunt grabbed her.

"No, June. You're going to go wait by the car where it's safe."

"But Aunt Daisy—"

"No buts except yours and—"

"Webby, Dewey, and Louie ran inside while you were talking."

Daisy lowered her and June took off, May right on her tail. April had been picked up by one of the baddies and Della was kicking one in the gut. Webby was already in tag-team combat with Dewey. Negaduck was standing above the chaos, watching it all with sick glee on his face. Then more purple smoke appeared.

_"I am the terror that flaps in the night. I am the rust on the iron of crime! I am…"_

The smoke cleared to reveal June's favorite hero.

_"DARKWING DUCK!"_

Right behind him were Gosalyn and Launchpad, the former carrying a crossbow and several bolts in a quiver. June ducked as one of the goons reached for her and slid over to Louie.

"What do we do?" she whispered.

"I dunno—take out the guys?"

"Just think! I'll cause a distraction. You focus on finding us an angle."

Louie took a deep breath and glanced around. He could see Darkwing and Negaduck already fighting. Gosalyn and Launchpad were supporting him on either side by keeping the goons at bay. Then he saw where April was being held and the baddies in front of it. An idea came to him, and he hoped June would agree to it.

"June, what's a roller-skating move to go forward really fast with others helping you?"

"It's called cracking the whip. Why?"

"Some of the contestants left their skates behind. Get two pairs and give them to Webby and Dewey. I have a plan!"

"Okay. I trust you."

* * *

Drake blocked a punch from Negaduck as the villain continually tried to hit him.

"You're nothing but a faker!" Negaduck sneered, narrowing his eyes. "The _real_ Darkwing can survive off pain! One little punch and you'll be out like a light!"

"It's key to never underestimate your opponent!" Drake swept his double's legs out from under him and Negaduck popped right back up. "Oh. It appears I underestimated you."

Negaduck threw down a smoke bomb and Drake started coughing. He still wasn't used to it, but his discomfort faded upon hearing Gosalyn yell, "LET GO OF ME, YOU JERK!"

There, in the grasp of his newfound nemesis, was his sort-of daughter.

Deep inside him, he felt that sense of protectiveness that had awakened the night he saved Gosalyn the first time rear up. It didn't matter that he wasn't her father by blood. He was her father where it counted for the moment, and that meant protecting her from evildoers at any cost. He rushed forwards and kicked Negaduck in the gut, sending him sprawling. Gosalyn hit the ground, retrieving her crossbow from where it had fallen.

"Thanks," she told him. He nodded but then Negaduck clocked him.

"You phony-baloney actor!"

"Get away from him!" Gosalyn yelled, sending a crossbow bolt through his cape and pinning it to the wall behind him.

* * *

"Okay, what's the plan?"

Dewey and Webby crouched with June by Louie.

"Here it is: we're gonna crack the whip. You two are gonna launch June towards where the hostages are and she'll take out the guards by crashing into them."

"How will that save them?" Webby inquired.

"Trust me, when June hits you while skating fast, she hits _hard_." She laughed a little and he smiled before returning to a determined expression. "You're launching her because she's the smallest, just so you know."

"Makes sense," Dewey agreed.

"It's like roller derby!" June gasped. "Let's do it!"

The three got up in a line. Webby took June's hand and Dewey took Webby's unoccupied hand. They began to skate fast, building up speed until Webby launched June forwards towards the guards. The thugs fell like bowling pins and Webby quickly moved to tie them up while Dewey and June released the hostages. Once that was done, they headed for the parking lot.

"Not so fast!" one of the goons June hadn't taken down sneered, hopping in front of her. She crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. "What, you ain't afraid?"

"No, you're just unfortunate."

"How so?"

"You're gullible and about to receive a swift kick in the ribs."

"Huh?"

Webby slammed a still-skate-clad foot into the man's ribs and he fell to the ground, groaning. She and June high-fived before continuing onward.

Meanwhile Negaduck had realized his plan was foiled and decided to cut his losses.

He was gone in a puff of smoke.

"Don't worry, DW. You'll get him next time," Launchpad assured his friend.

"Yeah… I will…" Drake panted.

"We almost had him this time, Dad," Gosalyn added. He stiffened and snapped his head to face her.

"D-Did you just call me…?"

"No. You're hearing things." She smirked and started to walk off towards the parking lot, where police were showing up.

"Gos, wait! I know I heard it!"

"You're a crazy old man!"

"Gosalyn Waddlemeyer, get back here!" He ran after her with Launchpad hot on his tail.

With everything settling, June sat in the open back hatch of Donald's car.

"Hey," Louie greeted her, hopping up beside her. "So, that was some pretty cool skating, what with cracking the whip and all."

"Yeah. I wish I could've brought home the trophy, at least, but being able to knock down those guys like pins was fun."

"I'm starting to think you're an adrenaline junkie."

"Aw, is it that obvious?" She giggled.

"Seriously, though, it seems like a lot of the time we get hit with some disaster or weird thing. It comes with the territory of being part of this family. I wouldn't blame you if you wanted to get out now."

"To be honest, I don't mind."

"You don't?"

"Up until I met you and your family, my life was painfully boring. All I really did was go to school and work on my skates. Now I get to travel and have fun adventures with new friends and my family's just so much bigger than it was before. It's all thanks to you guys."

"I'm glad you're here, too."

She suddenly wrapped her arms around him in a hug and he could feel his cheeks burning.

"Well, I'd better go catch up with Aunt Daisy. See you next time, Lou."

"…Llewellyn."

"What?" She stared at him.

"My real name is Llewellyn, but please don't call me that, okay?"

"Okay. Bye, Louie!"

She waved goodbye and he couldn't stop the goofy smile on his face as she joined her aunt and sisters. It was short-lived as he was reminded that he had two brothers and a basically-sister who were painfully aware of his massive definitely-not-a-crush on June.

"When's the wedding?" Dewey asked.

"I call being a bridesmaid!" Webby squealed.

"Shut up!" Louie groaned.

"Aw, but that was really cute! You said your name without cringing and admitted it to her!"

"I know. Let's go home. Maybe I can catch the end of the _Ottoman Empire_ Marathon if I'm lucky."

"Or maybe you should go… ugh, I can't think of anything," Huey grumbled.

"Don't worry. You will someday," Dewey assured his older brother with a smirk. "After all, we have until Louie admits that he likes her, and that'll never happen."

"Kids, get in the car or we're leaving you behind!" Della yelled from the passenger seat.

Louie rolled his eyes and got into the car.

_I don't like her like that. I don't! …do I?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A fun little chapter with some Darkwing and more proof that I should not be allowed to write fight scenes! Or Negaduck. I dunno, I got bored.
> 
> Ideas for chapters are welcome, whether they be small close-to-home adventures or big across-the-world ones.
> 
> So long and thanks for all the fish!


	5. Mother (The Truth About One)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is not something I thought I'd actually do.
> 
> When I started this story I internally debated whether or not I'd explore the parentage of the girls and at first I was like 'no. That would be too close to the first season of the reboot and I'd probably be lambasted for it.' Then the more I thought about it, the more I was trying to think of my own spin to put on it. And well, this is what I came up with. Don't murder me in the comments, please and thank you very much.
> 
> Side note: chapters might come out slower because I am currently wearing a wrist brace to deal with carpal tunnel and tendinitis. I'm still writing, though!

April silently crept through the house.

It was late at night. Her aunt and sisters were asleep in their rooms, but May and Daisy were both light sleepers. June slept like the dead thanks to all the exercise she got. Tonight, though, April had a mission that meant she couldn't be caught, not one little bit.

Ever since she'd begun spending time with Donald's nephews, she'd heard the story of how they'd discovered the truth about their mother's disappearance. While May and June simply accepted the story as a fun yarn now that Della was home again, it had started April on thinking about her own parentage. She'd always known that her mother left them with their aunt as eggs but now she was wondering why. They hadn't heard from her since then, or at least she and her sisters hadn't.

As quietly as she could she made her way into her aunt's office and began to look through the drawers with the help of a pen light she'd 'borrowed' from June. Most of what she found were documents from Daisy's continuing role as Emma Glamour's personal assistant. The file cabinet wasn't hard to navigate, either, but it also turned up no results. She was about to give up when she caught sight of a letter stuck at the back of the files. It had a logo she didn't recognize at the top and she grabbed it just as she heard footsteps coming down the stairs. Quickly she closed the drawer and rushed to the kitchen after stashing the letter under her pajamas.

"Hello, Showers. What are you doing up?" Daisy yawned, entering the kitchen.

"Getting a glass of water. You know how dry my throat gets from reading lines."

"All right, but remember: tomorrow afternoon you're going to the manor, and knowing those kids you're gonna want as much sleep as you can get."

April nodded, the letter crackling against her belly. Daisy grabbed a glass of water for herself and headed upstairs. To calm herself the eldest triplet did the same and climbed into bed, putting the letter in a folder in her backpack.

_You'll find out what happened to her._

* * *

The following afternoon, they arrived and were ambushed by Webby and the boys.

"You're here! Awesome!" Webby cheered. "Today we're having a dart war!"

"Cool! I call April and May on my team!" June cheered.

"We don't do teams," Huey told her.

"Why not?"

"There's seven of us. Someone would have to sit out or the teams would be lopsided. Besides, it's more fun if we go everyone for themselves."

"Why not make it a game of capture the flag?" April suggested. "Webby can be referee."

"And it can be Triplets versus Triplets!" Dewey finished. "You okay with that, Webby?"

"Yeah. I'm too advanced in espionage and combat for you guys. Ooh, or I can be a wildcard!"

"Let's do that," June agreed, nodding. "Girls take one side, boys on the other!"

"Come with me!" Webby yelled, grabbing June by the hand. "I know where you guys can have your base!"

"We have ours," Dewey stated. "See you guys on the battlefield."

The girls made their way to Webby's room, where she dug out their weapons.

"Decide who's doing what. I'm heading out to set up my traps."

"Isn't there tagging out?" squeaked May, straightening her glasses.

"Not around here. It's a fight to incapacitation. Or getting covered in darts. Whichever comes first."

Webby left her room and the trio gathered in a little circle.

"Okay, May is going to guard the flag," June proposed. "April, you and I are going to go out on the hunt. The manor has plenty of places to hide and ambush the boys when they run by."

"Sounds good to me—less running on my part."

April nodded. She could feel the letter in her skirt pocket. She'd been meaning to ask Webby to take a look at the logo and see if she recognized it, but the mystery could wait another day. For now she'd focus on having fun with her friends and family she had.

* * *

"This isn't fair."

Huey turned to face Louie, who had his arms crossed.

"How isn't it fair?"

"You know I'm not going to shoot June."

"That's why you're on guard duty," Dewey scoffed. "It's simple—we're going for the flag and you're protecting ours. That way, your totally-not-a-crush won't get in the way of victory and proving that the Duck boys are better!"

"When was that a stipulation?" Huey asked.

"Since I said so."

"Do the girls know?"

"Nope, but they will when we win!"

"Hey guys!" Webby greeted them, appearing in the doorway with a flag. It was made up of red, blue, and green. "Here's your flag. Theirs is yellow, orange, and purple. Should be easy to spot. Good luck!"

Huey set up the flag and Louie prepared to guard it. He picked up his gun.

"You can do this," he whispered. "It's not like June kicks that much butt with this."

"DUCK TRIPLETS, IT'S TIME TO GO GO GO!" Webby screamed into a megaphone in the hall. Huey and Dewey ran out of the room, saluting Louie on their way out.

* * *

The battlefield lay before her hiding spot. April took a deep breath and caught sight of June perched in another place in the hallway. She'd already taken another one of Webby's dart guns and used the roll of darts from it to give herself a quick reload time. They nodded to each other and April stepped out.

Dead silence.

Then there were darts flying. April ducked and one grazed her bangs, seemingly in slow motion. June tossed her a ball of yarn and the eldest Duck sister stretched it tight, causing Dewey to trip in his zealousness to catch them. June opened fire.

"NOOOOO!" he screamed. "HUEY, AVENGE ME!"

Huey took aim and nearly hit June. She ducked past him and started booking it for the boys' room, her feet pounding against the wooden floor. April was right behind her, covering her back as Huey pursued them. Dewey had gotten back to his feet. Neither of them had expected June to go out on the run. She seemed more like the type to guard and make a special gun to protect the flag. But no, they'd underestimated the girls and now they were worried. Louie would let June take it with minimal fighting.

Suddenly darts flew out of nowhere.

"NOBODY IS WINNING TODAY!" Webby cackled.

"You _fools_!" cackled June evilly.

"Oh my gosh, she and Louie are made for each other," Dewey whispered.

June dodged the next volley from Webby, continuing onwards while April was surrounded. They'd planned for this, however, and they'd swapped guns when nobody was looking. April had the modified one now.

"Little tip," April laughed. "Never mess with the grease monkey or her allies."

She began firing faster than they'd expected. Dewey was dodging most of them, thanks to training with Webby, but Huey chose to go for a more sacrificial method. He tackled April to the ground. Her gun clattered across the floor and Dewey picked it up.

"Okay, get off me! You beat me!" April whined. Huey obeyed, but then June came rushing by with the flag. Louie was hot on her tail.

"Once I make it back it's over!" she yelled.

"Did I mention June is the evil triplet?" April asked. Everyone began pursuing June.

In the ensuing chaos, there was a dogpile and April was knocked backwards, the folded letter falling from her pocket and onto the floor. Huey spotted it, taking a break from the chaos to pick it up.

"What's this?"

April's eyes widened.

"Wait!" she begged.

"Is it yours?"

"No, it's—get _off_!" She shoved Louie off her rather forcefully and stood up, going to Huey with a defeated expression. "It's about… our mom."

June stopped pulling on Dewey's hair and stared with wide eyes.

"Mama?" she whispered. April nodded.

"Let's go somewhere safe to talk."

The seven kids congregated in Webby's room, informing May that the game was temporarily paused and that April was investigating their mother.

"It's blank," the girl explained. "All that's on it is a logo I don't recognize but the logo wasn't on anything else. It's the only thing that didn't fit."

Huey unfolded the page and Webby's eyes went wide.

"It's not blank." She shook her head. "That's the S.H.U.S.H logo—the spy agency my granny used to work for."

"Give me a pencil," Huey told her. Webby handed it over without question and the eldest boy rubbed it over the page. All that was revealed was that there was nothing written on said page. He frowned.

"That's weird. Why would Daisy keep a blank page from S.H.U.S.H in her filing cabinet?" Louie asked.

"Maybe we should ask Daisy," Webby suggested.

"Aunt Daisy never talks about our mom," May sighed. "Trying to get her to tell us anything would be pointless."

"Then maybe we should talk to Granny."

"Talk to me about what?"

All seven glanced up to see Mrs. Beakley in the doorway.

"Hi, Mrs. B," Dewey greeted her.

"What is it you want to talk about?"

"April found a paper with the S.H.U.S.H emblem on it," Webby explained. "It was in her house."

"Hm… odd. I don't believe your aunt has ever worked for the agency."

"I thought it might have something to do with our mother," April confessed.

"Your mother—oh, dear. Girls, the best thing to do is discuss this with your aunt. Trust me. Dewey almost fell off the wing of the Cloudslayer while it was precariously perched on a pillar thousands of feet in the air in his pursuit of the truth about Della." Dewey bowed his head in shame. "There is nothing to be gained from hiding secrets."

"We can't," June snapped. "We ask her anything about Mama and all she'll tell us is that Mama left us with her. That's _it_."

Mrs. Beakley took a deep breath.

"Try again. And don't take no for an answer."

"We'll be with you," Dewey promised. "We have some experience with devastating revelations."

April pulled out her phone.

_**Aunt Daisy, we need to talk.** _

_About what?_

_**Mom.** _

There was no reply, only the speech bubble appearing and disappearing a few times.

_What brought this on?_

_**Huey, Dewey, and Louie's mom disappeared for a decade and they still got to find out who she was.** _

_**Why can't we have the same?** _

_April…_

_**Was it bad?** _

_April, it's a very complicated situation. And I'm not sure of all the details._

_**We deserve to know.** _

_**She was our mother and your sister.** _

_**I want to know who she was.** _

More silence.

_Fine. I'll tell you tonight when I pick you up._

"She's going to tell us."

"Good. Nothing good comes from hiding the truth from loved ones," Mrs. Beakley stated pointedly.

* * *

That night, the kids and Mrs. Beakley sat down in the living room at McDuck Manor. Daisy had tried to do it privately but her nieces had very pointedly refused, wanting their friends there for support. They were eager to hear the story but it was a story she wasn't sure she'd ever be ready to tell them.

"When my sister—April, May, and June's mother—was around, she told me that she was working for a prominent business that sent her around the world. It was true, but instead of filling out paperwork and arranging deals for more money, she was working for an agency called S.H.U.S.H. She was one of their top agents. Her name was Iris."

She took a deep breath.

"Almost eleven years ago she came to me with three eggs in tow and told me to watch over her daughters. She never came back. It was after that I was told the truth about what she did for a career and… it took her from us."

"She's dead?!" June wailed, clinging to Louie. He held her close, stroking her ponytail comfortingly.

"As far as the agency was concerned, yes. She went missing on her last assignment before maternity leave and they haven't heard from her since. I was her closest living relative so I got the news. My heart broke, but I stayed strong for the sake of the girls." Her eyes went to her nieces. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you but how do you say that your sister was a secret agent who went MIA?"

"These things are always difficult," Mrs. Beakley agreed. "Especially where S.H.U.S.H is concerned. I remember Iris."

"You do?" gasped the kids.

"I was her mentor at S.H.U.S.H. She was one of the best—cheerful, skilled, sharp as a tack. I'm surprised I didn't realize she was their mother sooner. I was told about her disappearance but… I never imagined she left children behind. To be honest she never seemed the type to settle down."

"That's my sister," Daisy agreed. "I was as shocked as anyone when she turned up with the eggs."

"She didn't want us."

Everyone stared at April, who rubbed a fist across her tear-filled eyes.

"She left us with Aunt Daisy and used the mission as an excuse to disappear so she didn't have to take care of us."

"April!"

"Think about it! Her sister had no idea what she did for a career and her agency had no idea she was having kids! She was keeping secrets that big? What else was she hiding?"

You could've heard a pin drop.

"I think we need to talk to someone," Daisy finally said, breaking the silence. "April has a point."

Mrs. Beakley nodded.

"I'll call one of my old contacts at S.H.U.S.H and see if they know anything else about Iris."

"In the meantime, I'll see if you girls can spend the night," Daisy offered.

"They can," Webby spoke up. "I think they need it."

* * *

Outside the manor, a spy camera disguised as a bird sat perched on a tree.

"I'm afraid they're starting to suspect something."

Bradford turned to the woman who stood in the corner, leaning against the wall.

"They're asking about you, Duck."

"I'm not surprised. The one in yellow is right, though. I didn't really have an interest in raising them. Daisy was always more responsible than I was so it seemed better for her to do it."

Iris smiled at him and then looked back to the screen.

"Aw, looks like one of those boys has a crush on one of my girls." She was staring at the triplets in green and purple. "I think we might have a situation we can take advantage of here."

"You haven't been seen publicly in over a decade, Iris. Stepping out now would mean revealing you're alive."

"I can work with that. A mother returning to her family—what could be less suspicious? We'd have to make it look good, though."

Bradford grinned.

"Another way to gain information. Well done."

"It's what I do."

"I'll have the others prepare for your return to the outside. In the meantime, you sit tight."

"Yes, sir."

She grinned evilly.

"Mama's coming home, girls. Mama's coming home."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shorter but setting up a plot point for later.
> 
> Iris is my own original creation. I borrowed from Della's story as well as the "Webby's parents are agents of F.O.W.L" theory. These three aren't gonna be as quick to forgive, though. There's too much they don't know about their mother.
> 
> I WROTE THIS CHAPTER IN LIKE SIX HOURS WHAT THE FRICK
> 
> So long and thanks for all the fish.


	6. Triplet Birthday (For Girls)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last time was a little heavy, so have some cute and some Goldie being Louie's aunt because I love it.

Ever since that first sleepover, the girls had been spending a lot of time at the manor.

April would take advantage of the house's acoustics to run lines with Dewey (who was always happy to be the center of attention/be dramatic as possible). May, Webby, and Huey would play small campaigns of D&D or plan ones for the group to go on in the future. June took the opportunity to learn about mechanics from Della and Launchpad when he wasn't in St. Canard.

That was where Louie found her one afternoon, looking over the engine of the limo while Launchpad incorrectly explained the names of the parts. Della would correct him each time without fail. He'd come out to ask his mom a question but upon seeing June he quickly backed away and headed back to the house.

"Hey, Louie!" April greeted him from the landing of the staircase. "What's up?"

"Nothing, nothing. What are you two doing?"

"Running lines." She crossed her arms. "I expected you to be hanging out with June."

"Yeah, he's been extra-weird about it lately," Dewey added. "I think it's getting worse."

"Shut _up_ ," Louie grumbled, heading up the stairs.

"He just needs someone to teach him how to talk to a lady," April sighed.

_Someone to teach me… hm…_

* * *

"Let me get this straight—you're having girl problems because you have a crush and can't admit it to yourself?"

"No! I just—I feel awkward around her nowadays."

Goldie crossed her left leg over her right and smirked while leaning back.

"Who even is this girl, Sharpie?"

"Her name's June. She's around all the time because she's learning mechanic stuff from my mom and her aunt's dating Uncle Donald."

"Donald has a girlfriend?"

"Ugh, Goldie, focus! How do I deal with this?"

"Okay. You came to me for advice on a girl problem, so here's what I'm thinking—stop denying it. It'll be better for you if you own up to how you feel."

"So I tell her?"

"No. Never do that. It only leads to bad things happening. I mean admit it to yourself. That's what I do and my life is smooth sailing."

"And yet you're hopelessly in love with Uncle Scrooge."

"You want my help or not?"

"I want your help!"

"Then listen when I'm trying to teach you."

There was a knock at the door and Goldie ducked behind the bed.

"Hey, Louie," June greeted him, poking her head into the room. "Mrs. B says dinner's at six. She told me to tell you!"

"Thanks. See you there!" He waved goodbye and she closed the door behind her.

"Oh, Sharpie. Was that her?"

"Yeah, that was June."

"You've got it bad, kid. Not to worry. I think it's being one-on-one with her that has you worried. Just make sure there's always a buffer in the room when you're hanging out with her. And if you have to be alone with her, just treat it like she's a mark and the con is not having a crush on her. It's that simple."

"I don't think this is gonna solve anything in the long run."

"Hey, I haven't been your age since the nineteenth century. Cut me some slack."

"Thanks, Goldie. I'll give it a shot."

* * *

Unfortunately it appeared Huey and Dewey were not willing to stick to that plan.

At dinner, Louie arrived to find that the only open seat that would still leave him sitting with the family was directly to June's left. If he'd taken a different seat it would've looked suspicious and raised a few flags with the others at the table. June had a little spot of grease on the left side of her face that she'd probably missed while cleaning herself up to eat.

"Hey, June?" Louie spoke up.

"Yeah?"

"You have a little something…" He pointed to the spot on his own face and she wiped her hand across it.

"Oh. Thanks! I'll go wipe it off."

She got up from the table and Dewey started snickering.

"All right, you guys are hilarious," muttered Louie.

"Yes we are, brother dearest," chuckled Dewey.

Della glanced between her middle child and her youngest, taking note of Louie's annoyed glare and putting the pieces together. She grit her teeth in sympathy; Donald had done the same to her when she had a first crush. No matter how confident a person you were, that first time could reduce you to a stammering mess if you weren't careful. June returned to the table, face now grease-free, and Della decided to strike up a conversation.

"So, I've been told a birthday is coming up soon," she stated.

"Yeah!" gasped May. "Our eleventh."

"May and I's eleventh is first, then June's," corrected April. "We started hatching pretty late at night and she was born after midnight."

June rolled her eyes and Louie stared at her.

"Same thing happened with the boys," Donald spoke up. "Louie took the longest to hatch. Dewey kicked half his shell across the room."

Dewey ducked his head in embarrassment.

"Any plans, girls?"

"Not really," sighed June. "It'll probably be the same thing—we see a show for April, go to a used bookstore for May, and for me I'll get a bunch of parts for my skates and I'll be happy. Maybe go to a roller derby if I'm lucky."

"Really? _That's_ all you do for your birthdays?" Dewey snorted. "What about parties with friends?"

"We've never really had friends," May explained. "We've been the Three Musketeers since we were little."

"You have us now, May. And your celebrations are not acceptable this time around because of that." He got up and stood on the table.

"And he's in speech mode," muttered Huey.

"I promise that this year you girls will have the best birthdays ever! And I shall plan your celebration!"

"Dewey, get off the table," Scrooge snapped, coming in the room. "What's this about a celebration?"

"The girls are turning eleven and Dewey wanted to throw them a party since they've never had one before," Della explained.

"Who's paying for it?"

"We have a ton of party supplies from when Huey tried to throw you a birthday party," Dewey told his uncle. "I can use those. We'll even hold it outside so we don't bother you."

"Hm. Make a guarantee that I won't have to pay for anythin' and you got a deal."

"An actual party!" June gasped. "This is gonna be the best birthday ever!"

She smiled at Louie, who couldn't help but smile back.

* * *

A couple days later party-planning was in full swing. Huey had taken over the planning aspect, relegating Dewey to DJ and Louie to getting the invitations out. The youngest looked over the list.

_Violet, Lena, Boyd, Gosalyn, Huey, Dewey, Louie, and Webby. Not a bad list, actually._

He walked up to the door of the Drake house and knocked on it. Mr. Drake opened the door and smiled broadly.

"Ah, Louie! What brings you here?"

"I'm here to talk to Boyd."

"I'm afraid he's not here. He's spending the week with Gyro Gearloose, his creator."

"Thanks. I'll just head over and give this to him."

"What is it?"

"It's an invitation to a birthday party. Three of my friends are turning eleven and they're celebrating—"

"What friends?!" Doofus demanded to know, coming to the door.

_Do not mention June. Do not mention June._

"Oh, just a few friends. You don't know them. The invitation is just for Boyd."

"But he's a _robot_! How can he enjoy a birthday?!"

"Doofus…" his father said in a warning tone. "Sorry, Louie. Best of luck to you!"

Louie could hear Doofus complaining as he headed back towards McDuck Manor to ask for a ride to the Bin. More than likely he'd find Boyd there. And he was right. Boyd was working with Doctor Gearloose and Fenton on the Gizmoduck armor.

"Hey!" he greeted them.

"Green Nephew," Gyro replied curtly. "What brings you here?"

"I just have an invitation for Boyd." He gave the robot boy the envelope. Boyd opened it immediately.

"April, May, and June's birthday is coming up? Wow!"

"Who are they?" Fenton inquired.

"Miss Daisy's nieces. They're triplets, too, and they're really nice."

"June's also a big fan of mechanics and engineering," Louie added. "So finding a gift for her shouldn't be a problem. I'll see you there!"

"Oh boy! I can't wait!"

"Wait a moment," Gyro called after Louie. The boy turned to face him. "Parents aren't required to stay at the party, are they? Surely the adults who are directly related to you should be enough."

"Nah. It's fine. All the kids who are coming can take care of themselves pretty well. Bye!"

He headed out of the lab and towards the Sabrewing house, where Violet and Lena accepted their invitations without hesitation and much excitement. Launchpad was given one to give to Gosalyn, though Dewey let Louie know he'd called Gosalyn ahead of time so she knew it was coming in case Launchpad forgot. Which, given the pilot/driver's personality, was a very real possibility.

* * *

The day of the party started perfect.

It was a beautiful sunny day. Everyone who was invited was able to make it. The cake had made it to the manor without incident (there was a reason Mrs. B had insisted on picking it up herself). April, May, and June were spending the weekend at the manor yet again, making it pretty clear that it was becoming less about sleepovers and more about a trial run for if Daisy and the girls moved in. Webby, Huey, and Della were finishing up decorating in the backyard. Violet and Lena were first to arrive out of the four guests who didn't live at the manor. Gosalyn arrived with Launchpad not long after.

"Drake was gonna come, but he passed out while making breakfast," she told June. "Lucky I know how to work a stove."

"Aunt Daisy says everyone should know how to cook so they can be independent."

"Yep, that makes sense." Gosalyn looked up at the manor. "You live here?"

"Nope. The boys do."

"I knew Dewey's uncle was rich but this is… wow."

"GOS!"

Dewey ran out and gave her a hug.

"Hey, Dewey! What's up?"

"Nothing much. Hey, I don't think you've been formally introduced to my brothers yet…"

June felt happy as she watched all her friends in the yard. She'd never had so many people celebrate the birth of her and her sisters before and it felt nice to know people cared. Then she felt that darkness approach—the same one she'd felt at the skating competition. Shaking, she turned to see Doofus Drake and Boyd, the latter rushing forward to give her a hug after setting down a small stack of three presents.

"Happy birthday, June!" he told her.

"Thanks, Boyd!" Doofus stared at her. "Um, let me show you where to put the presents so you can say hi to April and May! I need to go talk to Louie."

"Sure!" He followed her, Doofus not far behind.

As soon as she saw Louie, she ran and grabbed his arm, pulling him behind a bush.

"Louie, why is Doofus here?" she hissed.

"I dunno! I gave the invitation to Boyd—oh, wait. Doofus guilted him into letting him come along. That's how Doofus works."

"He's so creepy… he likes smelling my hair." She shuddered. "I think he has a crush on me. Everything is ruined."

"June, don't be ridiculous."

"What, am I not—"

"Hey. Not what I meant. What I mean is it's not all ruined. Look, I'll run interference for you if Doofus starts getting too close. That way, you can enjoy your first big birthday party."

"You mean it?"

"Of course. I know what makes that kid tick and he's been obsessed with me longer than he's been obsessed with you." She knit her eyebrows together with worry. "I'll be fine. I promise."

She pulled him into a hug and noticed his face was bright red.

"Thank you, Louie. It means a lot."

"You're welcome. Now get out there and enjoy yourself. Mom and Penumbra spent some time building a mini half-pipe for you and Gos to enjoy and it's your birthday."

"Technically it's not till tomorrow but yeah. I'll enjoy myself."

She scrambled out from behind the bush and Louie emerged, face still slightly red.

"First kiss?" Lena asked him teasingly.

"Shut up. Not you, too."

"I'd like to think I'm a little more mature than that. Besides, I heard everything. You're lucky none of the adults saw what just happened."

"We're literally eleven."

"She's ten."

"LENA!"

"I'm just messing. Go run interference."

Louie nodded.

* * *

Once all the games and fun had been had, it was time for cake and presents.

Louie was honestly relieved. Keeping Doofus from ruining June's birthday wasn't an easy task when your target was as physically huge as Doofus happened to be. June had repeatedly come up and offered to let him have a break but he had a vested interest in keeping the rich boy as far away from June as possible. Maybe it was the way he refused to call June by her actual name and insisted her full name was Juniper. Or maybe it was the fact that Doofus had a storied history of not taking a hint and not taking no for a valid answer. At any rate, Doofus was sat far away from June and cake and presents was Louie's time to take a break and relax.

 _"Happy birthday to you,"_ sang everyone as Mrs. Beakley brought out the cake. _"Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday dear triplets. Happy birthday to you.!"_

All three girls blew out their candles and the cake was cut.

"So, best birthday yet, right?" Dewey asked April.

"Yeah. Aunt Daisy's taking us out tomorrow for our yearly traditions, but having today to celebrate with friends was awesome."

"It's like rolling three Nat 20s in a row," agreed May.

"Nerd," coughed Lena teasingly.

"Lena, you're the one who rolled three in a row. I'm still not convinced you didn't use magic."

"I didn't. I can promise that."

Everyone who understood D&D to some extent started laughing. The only exceptions were Doofus and Gosalyn, but that was to be expected. Presents were unwrapped (Louie was glad to see June loved her new wheels; she'd been having issues with her current ones running thin) and the party was basically over for the daytime portion. Boyd and Doofus were the only ones not spending the night since Boyd didn't need sleep and Doofus hadn't been invited in the first place.

As they helped clean up, Louie felt like the first birthday celebration in years at the manor had gone very well. Everyone had fun and he got to make sure June enjoyed herself. All in all, a pretty good day.

"Hey, Louie," she told him before they went inside. Everyone else was already in the manor.

"Yeah?"

"Thanks again for keeping Doofus away from me. I really appreciated it."

"Seriously, it was nothing. You deserved a great first big birthday party and he wasn't going to make that possible."

Before he knew what was happening, June gave him a quick peck on the cheek.

"I'd better go change into my pajamas. I'll see you in Webby's room!"

With that June was gone… and so was any hope of Louie's crush being handled well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shorter chapter today but it's late and I wanted to give a fluff piece.
> 
> Next time we're back to semi-serious.
> 
> So long and thanks for all the fish!


	7. Awkward Reunion (And Comfort)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As promised we go back to semi-serious this time around.

The sound of traffic permeated the air outside headquarters.

To the outside observer it appeared a normal office building. Agents within the walls were normal office workers, desk jockeys who spent all day on the computer or filling out paperwork. In reality they were an incarnation of the global spy agency known as S.H.U.S.H, more specifically the Tokyolk branch. It was a perfect place to hide and Agent Tezuka, a more recent recruit, took great pride in what work she was able to do on behalf of the agency.

Right now, however, she was investigating rumors of F.O.W.L activity in the underbelly known as Shinjuku. It was dimly lit, even in mid-afternoon, and she gritted her teeth in disgust as she entered the warehouse the informant had told them about. The place was completely abandoned in such a way that made her feel as if they'd been had. That was before she heard a noise in one of the back rooms—the sound of someone struggling to free themselves from some kind of bindings. She rushed over and kicked down the door to find a female duck tied up with duct tape around her bill.

Instantly Tezuka ripped the tape off and the woman gasped for air.

"Thank you," she sighed. "Thank you so much. You're part of S.H.U.S.H, right?"

"Are you?"

"Yes." She was exhausted, clearly battered and bruised. "I was, long ago."

"Come with me." Tezuka untied her and led the woman out of the warehouse.

At headquarters, the woman accepted a cup of tea and introduced herself as Iris Duck. She was an American agent and as soon as her name was said, a couple of the higher-ups immediately went into a panic. Apparently Iris had vanished on a mission over a decade earlier and having her back was a massive deal. It became a matter of getting the paperwork assembled to send Iris back to America, back to her family while she recovered from her ordeal.

Tezuka, on the other hand, didn't take this explanation as easily. The fact that she'd been left behind by F.O.W.L didn't spell good news for Iris as an agent. Either she was a spy or she'd been bugged, and neither was appealing. Fortunately Iris made it clear she just wanted to go home and spend time with her family. Once Tezuka got her to America that was it. The Japanese agent would never have to see Iris again.

_Good riddance._

* * *

"Welcome to the room of theater dreams!"

April pushed open the door to her room and let the other child residents of the manor take it in. Her canopy bed sat off the ground, almost like a bunk bed were it not for the table underneath it that served as a desk and the matching bookcase. Stuffed animals lined the guardrail, standing watch in their owner's absence. The walls had posters for notable Broadway shows and movies that April clearly admired. Other than that, there were more bookshelves and beanbag chairs and even a couch that sat in the corner near the TV.

"It's like her room back at the old house but more spacious," May explained. "We didn't have as much room there."

"I can finally have enough space to practice!" April squealed excitedly.

"Cool," Dewey said, going over and sinking into one of the beanbag chairs. "Ooh, this is Louie-levels of lazy."

"That's pretty lazy," Webby remarked.

"Enough with my room," April sighed. "I guess it's May's turn."

The seven headed down the hall to the room May had claimed as her own. Her bed was just a normal twin-size bed with normal sheets. The big thing that caught everyone's attention was the long table she'd set up in the middle. On top of it was her dungeon-master gear as well as paper and pencils. It was clear she'd set it up to be a new place for their little guild to meet. Other than that the room was fairly clean and the posters that lined the walls advertised her favorite trading-card game that she'd gotten Huey into (but nobody else).

June seemed to realize that her turn was coming up.

"My room's not ready yet," she confessed. "It's a mess and I'm still working on something that I want done before I finish setting up."

"What are you working on?" Huey asked.

"I'm fixing my computer. The monitor's fine but I stripped out the guts of the actual CPU to—"

"Ugh, boring," Dewey scoffed.

"Hey, how come you guys don't have your own rooms?" April asked the boys.

"We've shared a room our whole lives," Louie snorted. "We tried it the first week or so we lived here and couldn't do it. It came from growing up on the houseboat."

"Hey, kids! Mrs. B says everyone needs to come downstairs for a meeting on house rules!" Della called, sticking her head around the corner. The kids shrugged and followed her down to where Mrs. Beakley had set up the chalkboard.

Daisy was sitting next to Donald, but just as the kids entered her phone went off. Mrs. Beakley nodded for her to answer and Daisy went outside the dining room.

"Hello?" she answered.

 _"Is this Daisy Duck?"_ asked the person on the other end.

"Yes, this is she. May I ask who is calling?"

_"My name is Shoto Miyashita. I am calling from S.H.U.S.H headquarters in Tokyolk."_

"Okay, but why? I haven't had anything to do with your people in over a decade."

_"Recently we were investigating F.O.W.L activity in Shinjuku and we found something. Your sister Iris is alive."_

Daisy nearly dropped the phone in shock.

"Wait, are you joking?!"

_"No, Miss Duck. She's coming back to America. Her flight leaves in a few hours and I was instructed to inform her family. Am I correct that you are her only living family?"_

"No, but I'll tell them myself."

_"Wonderful. Miss Duck, I wish you the best of luck with your sister. She'll be landing at the St. Canard airport tomorrow morning at nine am along with one of our agents."_

"Thank you, Mr. Miyashita. I'll be there."

She hung up and heard footsteps running from the door. The kids were eavesdropping. She should've known. Upon entering the dining room she was fixed with stares from the whole family.

"Aunt Daisy, you're crying," June spoke up. "Did something bad happen?"

"No, June Bug. Actually, something good happened. That was a call from an agent of the Tokyolk branch of S.H.U.S.H." She wiped a tear from her eye. "They found Iris. She's coming home tomorrow."

All three of the girls had wide eyes. None of them looked like they could believe it, and Mrs. Beakley was the same.

"Well, at any rate, I'm going to be picking her up from the airport tomorrow if you girls want to come."

"I'm going to stay here," April told her aunt. "I think it would overwhelm Iris to meet all three of us at once."

"Yeah, maybe," agreed May.

"I know I was on the moon for ten years and it was overwhelming when I came back, so that's a fair assessment," Della spoke up. "I think one familiar face to start off is good before you start throwing in the _un_ familiar."

"Well, then," Mrs. Beakley sighed. "I'll make up the guest room, if that's all right with you, Mr. McDuck."

"It's fine with me. Not the first reunion to happen in these halls and I doubt it'll be the last. Only stipulation is that she be included under house rules."

"Yes, sir."

* * *

Iris stared out the window of the plane as they descended.

_Back on American soil. Wow._

Seeing the city of St. Canard brought back memories of growing up with her little sister. Playing games in their apartment, watching as Daisy went off to fashion school and being recruited by the agency… she shook her head. No. Remembering the good times would only make doing her job harder. She wasn't betraying Daisy or her daughters; she was protecting them from the madman Scrooge McDuck. They'd understand once this was over and they could be a family.

"We're landing," Tezuka told her, shaking the duck from her thoughts.

"Thank you, Tezuka."

"Who is coming to meet you at the airport?"

"My little sister. I haven't seen her since I left my eggs with her."

"Hm. How many?"

"Three. All girls."

"I don't envy you. I recently had to deal with a pair of boys about that age and I don't want to do it again. Both of them were a pain in the tail."

"Babysitting?"

"One was a robot. The other was naïve and almost got Tokyolk burned to the ground."

"Oof." Iris cringed in response.

The plane landed smoothly and Iris grabbed what little luggage she'd been afforded. Tezuka was there to ensure Iris got home safely, then she'd be heading back to Japan alone. They arrived at the baggage claim and Iris caught sight of a sign that said 'IRIS' in bright bold letters. Holding that sign was none other than her baby sister. She rushed through the crowd and they hugged tightly.

"You're here," Daisy whispered, her voice cracking with emotion. "It's really you!"

"And you're here, too!"

"Ahem," Tezuka coughed.

"Oh, right." They broke apart. "Daisy, this is Agent Tezuka. Tezuka, this is my sister Daisy."

"A pleasure," Daisy greeted the agent, holding out a hand.

"Same here. Do you have a way to bring her home?"

"Yep. Thank you so much for bringing her back to me. Our family owes you so much gratitude."

"Don't mention it. I'm heading back to Tokyolk tomorrow. Make sure your sister gets plenty of rest."

"I will."

Daisy and Iris headed out to the parking lot, where they got into Daisy's car and started the drive home. Iris was surprised as they drove through St. Canard and over the Audubon Bay Bridge towards Duckburg. She'd known Daisy's boyfriend lived there but she'd thought Daisy still lived in St. Canard.

"How long have you lived in Duckburg?"

"Eight years. I got a job with Emma Glamour and it made more sense for me to move with the girls."

"What… what are they like?"

"April's the oldest. She loves theater and performing. Then there's May. She lives in a little fantasy world and she's fascinated by legends and fairy tales. And then there's June. We call her our little grease monkey since she's always working on something—usually her special roller skates."

Iris watched as they pulled up to Killmotor Hill, the famed home of McDuck Manor and Scrooge McDuck.

"Isn't this Scrooge McDuck's house?"

"Yes. I'm dating his nephew and we recently moved in. He said you could stay too, since you're family."

_Family. He considers me… family._

Suddenly she wasn't so sure about Director Buzzard's plan…

* * *

"Hey, you okay?"

June looked up at Louie.

"You're tightening and untightening the wheels on your skates." He sat down next to her. "You wanna talk?"

"I'm just… nervous. About meeting our mom. Aunt Daisy's told us so many stories since we found out the truth and I'm worried I'm not gonna—"

"Impress her?"

"Yeah. She was an agent of S.H.U.S.H and a really awesome person. How do I measure up to that?"

"You don't." She stared at him. "Listen, my mom's Della Duck. She's an adventurer extraordinaire and an amazing pilot. I was worried that if I met her she wouldn't think I was worthy of being her son because I wasn't as smart as Huey or confident as Dewey. Or even as daring as Webby. But she doesn't care about being worthy because she's my mom and she loves me. It doesn't matter if I measure up. What matters is that I'm her son."

"So…?"

"So don't worry about it. You're June. You're an awesome skater, a gifted mechanic, and a really amazing person. She'll understand all that because she's your mom and if she doesn't understand, she will if you give her time."

"Thanks, Louie."

"Hey, what are friends for?"

They smiled at each other and then Dewey broke in.

"Louie! June! Quit flirting and help us with the banner!"

"We weren't flirting!" Louie protested, his cheeks flaming red with embarrassment. June giggled, setting down her skate to go hold the ladder steady.

"They're coming up the driveway!" announced Huey, turning back towards everyone from the window.

Everyone stood together, watching as the doorknob turned and the front door opened to reveal a woman who was definitely Daisy's sister. The family resemblance was strong. Iris stared at the three girls at the front of the group, tears forming in her eyes.

"Everyone, meet Iris Duck."

June hesitated for a moment before stepping forwards and cautiously offering Iris a hug. May and April followed suit. Louie could feel it in the air; where there had been joy and relief when Della came home there was uncertainty and mistrust for the girls. It made sense in his mind. The cause of Della's absence had been clear and her reasons for not coming home understandable. Iris had no such case in her favor.

The silence was awkward.

"So!" Della spoke up, breaking the spell. "Lunch? You must be starving."

"Yes, I'd appreciate some time with the family." Iris smiled awkwardly and they all made their way towards the dining room.

A dream reunion, it was not.

* * *

_Tap tap_

"Come in."

Louie entered June's room to find computer parts sitting all over her desk as she fiddled with some kind of motherboard. She was muttering to herself as she worked and he sat down on her bed across from her.

"I know that didn't go how you wanted," he sighed.

"I always thought that when I met my mother, things would make sense. Like we'd be a normal family. But that's not what happened."

He knew what she meant. All afternoon conversation had been stiff and awkward. April and May had a slightly easier time connecting with their mother over their respective loves for theatrics and fantasy. June's love of mechanics, by contrast, had not quite gotten Iris's attention in the same way. He had seen it gnawing at her and that was why he'd come to talk to her. He understood what it felt like a little better than most, given that he'd struggled to connect with Della.

"June, I think you lost any chance at your family being normal the day we met and found out your aunt was dating my uncle."

"True enough. It's a lot."

"Take baby steps. I didn't connect with my mom right away. It took a while for us to find anything we had in common."

"She's basically an older female Dewey." He laughed in agreement.

"So, enough about the awkwardness with your mom. What are you working on?"

"I'm improving the storage on my computer. Pretty simple. It makes it more ideal for playing games."

"Uh-huh…"

"We both know you're not as tech-savvy as I am, so don't pretend you know what I'm talking about."

"I'm not. You know, my laptop could use an upgrade…"

"You gonna pay me?"

"I'll get Dewey to do your chores."

"Hm… nope."

"What do you mean, nope?"

"I mean that's not good enough. I think I have an idea, though." She turned to face him. "How about this—if I fix up your laptop, you have to go with me to my school dance."

"Excuse me, _what_."

"I think it's a fair trade. Besides, I can get an 'A' on the dancing unit in gym if I go to the dance. I don't want to go alone." She narrowed her eyes. "You don't wanna go, that's fine. I guess I'll just ask someone else to be my date."

"No, I'll do it. Geez."

"Thank you. Sorry. I just… didn't want to be that kid who asked their sibling to the dance."

"No, no, I get it. Not like we have school dances here."

"I'll give you more details later. Good night!"

He headed back to his own room.

* * *

_"Well done, Duck. You've infiltrated the manor."_

"Scrooge said I'm family since my sister is dating his nephew." Iris swung her legs as she spoke to Bradford.

_"A perfect cover. It's well known that Scrooge's top priority is his family. Target that and the rest falls into place."_

"Should I get to know my children?"

_"Of course. They've been part of that group longer than you have. They're bound to have some kind of useful information."_

"I'll be sure to keep that in mind. Duck, out."

Iris cut off communication and sighed, laying back in the bed.

_What have I gotten myself into?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise, Iris isn't evil. At least…
> 
> It's a Patty Hearst situation. To a certain degree. Sorry, it's late and I need to go to bed.
> 
> Also, I could've just made this an entire chapter of Louie reassuring June.
> 
> So long and thanks for all the fish!


	8. Adulting is Hard (Gen Swap)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An adult Louie and June chapter, inspired by the gen-swap AU. I got permission to use the AU for this story. It's more of a highlight reel than a full-on chapter.
> 
> If this is too June-focused it's because I'm not writing her into the whole thing; just June-centric parts. Okay? Okay. Let's go.

"You've got this, LP."

Launchpad nodded at Della, Fenton still sticking notes to the windshield. A faint humming caught the girl's attention and she turned to see B.U.D.D.Y driving up. Mark Beaks got out of the car, along with a female duck that she didn't know. The woman was glaring at Mark and based on the look on her face he'd clearly ticked her off somehow. He was nonchalant and indifferent to her anger, however, instead choosing to continue to tap at his phone. The woman pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration.

"Mark. Do _not_ do this," she admonished him. "I'm telling you, he's not ready."

"Listen, I know he's ready. Your job is to make sure the car's ready. That's why I hired you, honey."

"I have a name."

"I know. But you're sweet like honey, so I'll call you that."

The woman grit her teeth and Della silently wished she'd haul off and punch him. But professionalism won out and she tucked a loose strand of hair back into her purple baseball cap before opening the hood to double-check everything. Her purple coveralls were unzipped to the waist with the sleeves wrapped around like a belt. Clearly she was some kind of mechanic.

"Grease monkeys, am I right?" Mark chuckled quietly to Fenton. "She has no respect for sophisticated tech."

"Ma'am, are you sure you can—" Fenton started, but she glared at him.

"I've been working on this car since it was created. I know it better than you, okay?" B.U.D.D.Y looked at her and she smiled. "You just do your best. I'll be waiting here when you're done."

"I like her," Della stated bluntly.

The woman shut the hood and nodded to Mark.

"Car's in perfect shape."

"Great job, honey. I'll be sure to let Mr. McDuck know that you're my primary mechanic once this deal goes through."

The woman walked over to the side, leaning against one of the lampposts next to Della. Mark stepped into the street, ready to start the race. And it went as expected—B.U.D.D.Y won due to the fact that he wasn't able to crash. Gyro showed up and revealed the truth of why B.U.D.D.Y was so sophisticated. Everyone but Fenton and Launchpad loaded into the car.

"So, how did you circumvent the morality circuits?" Gyro asked Mark.

"What?"

"You know, stop it from turning evil?"

"I'm sorry, what?!" the mechanic snapped.

"Honey, let me handle this. I just made them look less dorky. They're just dumb robots, right?"

"B.U.D.D.Y, he didn't meant it!" The woman tried to get out of her seat but was strapped in. "Oh, no—calm him down, please!"

"You try!" Gyro insisted, trying to do the same as her. They were all trapped as the car sped around without abandon.

"Honey, what's going on?!" yelped Mark in terror. She didn't answer as she managed to get to her pocketknife. She used it to cut her seatbelts as Della honked the horn to get Launchpad's attention.

The next thing they knew, Della was leaning out the window to grab Launchpad's hand and the mechanic had her hands gripping Della's feet so she wouldn't fall. As the car hit a bump and lurched the two were launched into the air. Before they hit the ground, however, they were caught by somebody new.

"I gotcha!" announced the duck in the robot armor. He set them both into the limo as he headed after B.U.D.D.Y.

From there it was a race to get to safety, the robot armor crashing into the limo to reveal the pilot was Fenton. In the end they were saved by Launchpad crashing and the mechanic fell out of the limo as soon as it was set back down on the ground. Della helped her up, then watched as she marched up to Mark Beaks.

"Mr. Beaks."

"Yes, honey?"

"I quit. Effective immediately."

"Yeah, sure, whatever. I have bigger fish to fry than you. Feel free to call me, though!"

From there they gave the woman a ride back to Duckburg, where she hopped out of the limo upon their arrival at the Bin. Scrooge congratulated Launchpad on his driver's license and Della turned to the woman with a smile.

"Thanks for trying to save me back there."

"Hey, I'm not the type of person to let a kid fall to her death from a speeding car. That type should be shot."

"DELLA!"

Huey came running out of the elevator, Donald and Louie hot on his tail as he swept his niece up in a hug.

"Uncle Scrooge just told me what happened. Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

"I'm okay, Uncle Huey."

"Glad you're fine," Louie told her with a sigh of relief. "The limo, on the other hand… I don't think we can salvage it."

"You'd be surprised," the mechanic chuckled. Huey and Louie looked up at her. "I was the mechanic in charge of B.U.D.D.Y. I just quit, so if you need someone to take a look at it I'll do it for free."

"I'm sorry, who are you?" Huey asked.

"She saved me from falling out of the car!" Della chirped.

"You mean it? You'll fix this hunk of junk for free?" Louie inquired.

"Hey, the least I can do for old friends."

Louie narrowed his eyes, then they popped open in shock.

"Holy— _June_?!"

"Nice to see you too, Lionheart." He shook his head and chuckled a little. Huey, on the other hand, lit up and swept the long-haired woman into a hug.

"I can't believe it—you're back in Duckburg!"

"For a couple years now! Put me down, please!"

He set her down and she let out a breath.

"Great googly moogly, that's a welcome."

"Uh, Uncle Huey, who's she?" Donald spoke up.

"Oh. Donald, Della, this is June Duck. She was a friend of ours when we were your age." He smiled. "You're a real mechanic now, huh?"

"She finally upgraded from skates to cars," Louie joked.

"Hey. Is that any way to treat the person who's going to fix your car? For _free_?"

"Fair enough, fair enough."

"Anyway, I'll ride with Launchpad back to my garage. I suppose this is goodbye for now. It was nice to see you both again." There was a sadness in her tone, Della noted, as if someone was missing. And she supposed someone was—Dewey. If she'd been friends with Huey and Louie then she'd had to have known her father, right?

* * *

That night, Della went to talk to Huey as he folded laundry.

"Uncle Huey, were you and Uncle Louie really close with June?"

"Louie was honestly closer to her than I was. Believe it or not, she's part of a set of triplets, too. She was the youngest, which is what they initially bonded over."

"Really?"

"Yeah. She was always fiddling with a special pair of rollerblades she'd made herself. It's not a surprise that she wound up becoming a mechanic."

"You should've seen her when she was talking to Mark Beaks. I'm surprised she didn't punch him. He kept calling her honey like she was his girlfriend or something."

"Ooh, boy. Having a crush on June doesn't usually end well."

"Did _you_ —"

"No. Louie did."

An empty can almost hit Huey in the head.

"Don't air my non-existent love-life to our niece," the triplet in green grumbled, entering the room.

"You spent a month not talking to her when you figured it out and turned the color of my hat every time she stood too close to you or had some kind of physical contact."

"Aw…" Della cooed. "She's really pretty, too."

"No. Dells, I haven't seen her in twenty years. We're both different people now."

"Boo. I was hoping to get an aunt out of this."

"Sorry, kiddo," sighed Huey.

"I guess I'll just settle for her being my aunt the way Uncle Gladstone is my uncle."

"Maybe you should ask her before you decide that."

Della nodded and ran off, Louie narrowing his eyes at Huey as she left.

"What? It's not like you and June ever went anywhere. It was your first crush, plain and simple. She'll fix the limo and then we'll probably speak to her minimally from that point onward."

* * *

Huey was wrong.

Largely thanks to Della's puppy-dog eyes and how well she'd fixed the limo, June was brought on as a mechanic to fix cars when Launchpad crashed them. It gave her plenty to do and thanks to her newfound reputation as Scrooge McDuck's mechanic she was given enough business to finally hire some hands down at her main garage. Up until that point it had been just her managing and working on all vehicles that drove through her doors. And that meant she had a lot more time to spend with the family. Della already called her Aunt June and it wasn't long before Donald followed suit.

To make it even more awkward, the kids would ask June so many questions about when their uncles were kids and she would answer them without fail. She didn't talk about Dewey at the request of Louie and Huey (though they did get a lecture from her initially about how the kids deserved to know their parents) but everything else about them as kids was fair game. To Webby and Della, she was a window into the past who hadn't been part of the fallout a decade earlier. Donald just liked having another adult around to handle his sister if she went too far.

Probably the biggest change, however, came with Louie.

He'd thought that he'd shaken his crush on her from when they were kids. He really did. But as it turned out, his childhood crush had turned into an adulthood one as they interacted more and more. It didn't help matters that she'd gone from cute girl to pretty adult, or that she'd retained her upbeat attitude unless she was dealing with Mark Beaks which he honestly didn't blame her for. He found it difficult to be civil around the Waddle CEO too. And she'd been hired by the jerk, so she had spent even more time with him.

Maybe that was why he felt protective of her. She was fully capable of taking care of herself but he wanted to make sure she was safe in any situation. Not to mention that when the family broke apart again she'd stayed by his side to make sure he was okay. After all he no longer had Huey or Beakley or the kids, and Scrooge was no help. June made sure he didn't fall apart like the old man. There was also something oddly enticing about her fighting the Gizmoduck armor with nothing but a wrench.

And now that everything was out in open he felt oddly at peace. You know, as much as he could running one of the biggest companies in the world while his family went on adventures. But even when they were out overnight he had June to keep him company and drive him to work if he was exhausted from a night of work. She was his girlfriend in everything but name and physical affection. He never mentioned it to anyone—to Scrooge, the kids, Huey, Dewey when he came back, and especially not to her because that would mean he could wreck everything in just a few words.

* * *

"You ever think about when we were kids?"

Louie looked up from his phone at June, who was driving. Rain slapped against the windows as they wove through traffic. He could see how it could make someone feel a little nostalgic.

"Yeah. A lot. Things were simpler," he sighed.

"A lot simpler. Back then I went on adventures with you guys all the time and there wasn't so much baggage. Being an adult sucks."

"Especially when you have responsibility quicker than you expected."

"Or you're left alone."

"What about your sisters?"

"Once we reached high school, April and May kinda found their own groups. Most of the people in my shop class were guys so they thought I didn't deserve to be there in the first place."

"I'm sorry—you're the girl who engineered a pair of convertible roller skates in your sneakers when you were _ten_. How do you _not_ deserve to be there?"

"Because I was a girl intruding in their special club. Shop teacher wasn't much help either."

"Hey, look at you now. You're running a successful garage and working for the richest duck in the world. If those chumps could see you now they'd be wishing they had backed you up somehow."

She laughed a little before gasping and slamming on the brakes as someone pulled out in front of her. It was someone on an odd-looking scooter—more specifically, it was Mark Beaks. His scooter was covered by a glass bubble that protected him from the rain and his eyes met June's. Without hesitation he pulled a highly illegal maneuver in order to pull up beside her.

"Hello, honey! Haven't seen you since the B.U.D.D.Y incident!"

The light was red so she couldn't move. June was gritting her teeth and Louie narrowed his eyes at the gray parrot beside them.

"Aw, I see you're working for Louie Duck now. Or are you just giving him a ride since you don't have a job?"

"Louie, let me punch him," she request in a low voice.

"Some other day. Let's just head home. The kids will be home tomorrow."

"Right."

The light turned green and she hit the gas, launching them forward and away from Mark Beaks. It didn't take long for them to reach Killmotor Hill, where she dove into the backseat to grab her umbrella. It was then she remembered she only had one.

"You take this and I'll go park the car," she told him, holding it up.

"No, I'll ride with you and we'll walk in together."

Her cheeks turned red and he was reminded of when they were kids and he reacted the same way. He could already feel his own burning despite the chill of the rain that slapped against the windows. June started the car again and brought it into the secondary garage Scrooge had built for her to work in. She and Louie walked into the house together under her umbrella and their proximity to each other made the cold feel nonexistent.

"Looks pretty bad out here," he told her. "I don't think it's supposed to let up until tomorrow morning."

"I heard something similar."

"Where do you live again?"

"It's less than half an hour away. But I don't like driving in these conditions. It's not safe with this much water on the road."

"Well, we _do_ have space in the mansion. If you need somewhere to spend the night."

"Are you hitting on me, Lionheart?"

"Maybe a little."

"Great googly moogly, thank goodness. I was hoping you were."

"You were _hoping_?"

"Yeah. I knew when we were kids that you had a crush on me."

"Okay, who told." She gave him a blank look and at the same time they said "Dewey."

"I kinda thought you were cute, too." They were walking upstairs towards one of the guest rooms. "But before I could say anything Dad moved us to New Stork City and I had to say goodbye."

"Poor timing."

"Really poor timing, yeah. And since we started talking again, I just kinda… started feeling that way again."

"Oh, so it wasn't just me."

"Nope."

"So you wanna be my girlfriend?"

"Yep."

"Cool. Well, since we're apparently alone, I can cook dinner."

"You don't have to—"

"Hey, you made lunch for us all the time when we were kids. It's my turn to pay that back."

"Okay, then. Just let me know if you need help."

* * *

The next morning, Della came through the front door with Webby and Dewey right behind her.

"I'm gonna tell Uncle Louie how much treasure we found!" she announced proudly.

She barreled her way up the stairs, only to find his room and his office unoccupied. When she did find him, she found him snuggled up with June on the couch and her eyes lit up as she began to giggle. Scrooge came up behind her and she put a finger to her lips, pointing at the couch. They'd clearly fallen asleep while watching a movie together and nobody was willing to wake them up.

"Aw," whispered Dewey. "You know, I wouldn't be mad to have June as a sister-in-law. She and Louie get on so well. They have since we were kids. Let them sleep."

June shifted slightly, her hair tickling Louie's nose. He sneezed and woke them both up, making June yelp as she fell off the couch.

"Sorry!" he gasped, reaching down to help her up. "Jeez, what time is it?"

"Almost ten o'clock," Scrooge replied with a smirk. "Pretty late for you, Louie."

The two young adults looked at their small audience and June let out a nervous chuckle.

"I'd better get going. I have interviews for a new hire… to… prep for. Bye!"

"Where you going?" Dewey laughed. "Stay for breakfast. You told me you leave interviews for the afternoon so you have plenty of time to work here."

"Dang it." Her cheeks were red with embarrassment. Louie sighed.

"Yes, June and I are together now. No, we are not answering any questions while we get used to it. Let's eat."

Della was squealing as she hugged June's leg.

"You're gonna be my aunt for real!"

"Hold on, Dells. We have a lot to sort out with this but I'm happy to be your aunt."

"Last one to the kitchen is a rotten egg!" yelled Dewey, running past her.

"HEY! NO FAIR!" June picked up speed, lifting Della onto her back.

Scrooge chuckled.

It had taken a while, but Louie and June had found each other again and found what had always been meant to be. Maybe if they hadn't been forced apart by her moving they would've been married by now with kids of their own, cousins for Donald and Della. Who really knew what the future held in store?

They'd find out together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sappy ending, Mark Beaks because I want to kick him in the face and break his phone, and Louie and June being super cute.
> 
> Lionheart is the nickname June has for Louie that I hope to actually implement later in this story. It's entirely because Llewellyn is said to mean 'lion-like' and I thought her calling him Lionheart is cute. I also really like the song "King and Lionheart" so give that a listen if you get a chance.
> 
> Big thank-you to ducks-gen-swap on Tumblr for letting me use your AU for my weird story. You did not have to do that and I hope I did your versions of the characters justice.
> 
> Next chapter will be the school dance that several people are excited for. I was inspired by my recent binging of The Owl House and the episode "Enchanting Grom Fright" so that tells you how it's gonna go.
> 
> So long and thanks for all the fish!


	9. School Dance Disaster

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Words that describe this chapter: shorter, less heavy on content, not as well written, and screwed by writer's block. I'm really sorry. But at least you're getting it. I created another original character who may come back in later chapters if I can find a place to stick her. She hasn't popped up until now because she's closely tied to school life for the girls.

* * *

Life at Duckburg Junior High was not easy.

You know that whole thing where people say middle school is the absolute worst years of your life? Well, that was true if you weren't at the top of the 'social food chain'. And at their school the most popular kids were part of the drama club, like April… and Sara Chandler, the queen bee and president of said club. Sara looked down on people outside her circle, and for some reason she had a particular dislike of June that nobody knew the reason for. But our girl doesn't take insults lying down, and she'd always combatted Sara's barbs and jabs with her own.

On this particular day, the day of the dance, June was grabbing her books to go home. Suddenly her locker slammed shut and there was Sara with her two cronies, Karen and Veronica. June sighed.

"Hello, Sara."

"June."

"I'm guessing you're here to taunt me about my skates or my fashion sense?"

"No, nothing of the sort. I just wanted to say that I hope you have fun at home tonight."

"At home?"

"You know, when you miss out on the dance because you can't find a reason to go. Like usual."

"It's a junior high dance, Sara. Not prom or homecoming."

"For us it might as well be, Grease Monkey." June rolled her eyes.

"You know that name doesn't bother me. Get some new insults or leave me alone." June reached into her backpack and pulled out her helmet. "Now if you'll excuse me, I do have to get ready for the dance tonight. I'll see you there."

Sara narrowed her eyes as June left.

* * *

Louie fidgeted as he adjusted his suit.

_I can't believe I agreed to this._

"This is the dumbest thing I've ever done," he muttered.

"I think the time-tub incident was worse," Huey told him. "But this comes close."

"All right all right!" Dewey cheered, sliding through the room. "We're going to Dewey this right tonight!"

"There are two kinds of people—those who hate school dances and those who think they're one of the greatest gifts to mankind. Guess which one Dewey is?"

Dewey scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"Listen, Huey. We're probably not going to get a chance to go to a real school dance until we're teenagers, so let's take this opportunity to enjoy one while we're still kids."

There was a knock at the door. It was Della, who looked happy while holding a camera.

"Before you boys get going, I want to get some pictures!" she told them. "Daisy's finishing up getting the girls ready so you should be leaving soon. Oh, this is the first 'first' I've been a part of—your first school dance!"

"Mom, it's not a big deal," Louie sighed. "It's a junior high school dance."

"High school dances are different, kiddo. Trust me. They are _so_ different." She stared off into space before shaking her head. "Just let me have this."

"Okay, fine."

"Come downstairs. We'll take pictures in the foyer."

Donald was waiting there, as well as Scrooge, Mrs. Beakley, and Iris. Launchpad was in St. Canard again, so he was missing all the 'fun'. Della made sure to get plenty of pictures and Louie didn't fail to notice the slight nostalgic look on Scrooge's face.

"Ah, I remember doin' this for the twins," he sighed. "Della was excited, and Donald managed to rip his suit before he even got to the dance."

"Yeah, yeah," Donald muttered. "Just be good, okay?"

"We're ready!" Daisy sang from the top of the stairs.

All four girls (Webby had begged to be allowed as a 'third wheel' to May and Dewey) descended the staircase. They were wearing matching dresses in their respective colors—knee-length things that were layered and elegant while not being too fancy. April's pigtails had been curled and the hair-ties replaced with yellow ribbons. May's hair was up in a bun. June, rather than her normal ponytail, wore her hair down and slightly curled with a purple clip in the back that matched her dress. Webby hadn't done much to her own hair, save for braiding the bit that had her signature bow.

"Aw, you girls look adorable!" cooed Iris.

"Thanks, Mom," May stated.

Louie, however, was no longer paying attention to anything else but June. It was like she was moving in slow motion and everything else had faded but her. He snapped back to reality as his mom moved him to stand next to June.

"Louie, honey, look like you want to be here," she told him.

He smiled nervously.

_Don't think about your crush. Don't think about your crush._

When pictures were _finally_ done, the kids got into the car and headed off to the dance. Louie was sitting right next to June and sweating rather profusely from nerves. He'd never in his life been to any kind of school dance and from what he knew from TV they usually sucked because you never went with who you really wanted to. Well, this wasn't TV or a movie and he was in the car next to the girl he'd been crushing on for months at this point. She gave him a kind smile and his heart jumped a foot from his chest to his throat.

"I wonder what Sara is gonna say," April mused.

"Who's Sara?" Dewey asked.

"You know how every school has its queen bee? Sara is ours. She hates June more than anyone else. I tolerate her because we're both in drama and May's too introverted to get on her radar."

"Yep," June sighed. "Sara Chandler is the worst."

"Does _Sara_ have a date?" Webby snorted.

"Not as far as I know but we're not friends."

They pulled up to the school and Daisy snapped one last picture of them heading into the building.

* * *

Inside the school, there was a dark presence.

This presence was none other than Magica de Spell, the Shadow Sorceress… who was currently chaperoning the dance. She'd used a glamour to disguise herself from the eyes of Scrooge's brats and from her plan to trap them. She smiled out at the dance floor, which was currently littered with children talking and awkwardly dancing to the music. Not one of them was aware that every tile on that floor, a floor that she had put up for the event, was actually the home of a very specific creature that she'd captured. It was spine-tinglingly awful.

She grinned. It was time.

* * *

Entering the gym felt odd.

It had been transformed into a 'wonderland' of sorts for the sake of the dance. Someone had even gone the extra mile to install some kind of dance floor in the middle of the room and it was occupied by a bunch of awkward-looking kids. June's eyes weren't on the dance floor, though. They were scanning the room for the epitome of evil at Duckburg Junior High as the group broke apart to check out the dance. Upon not seeing Sara she decided to go over to Louie. Dewey had made his way onto the dance floor and was drawing a crowd with his moves.

"I'm glad your brothers were able to come," she commented. "It seems like Dewey's enjoying himself, at least."

"Yeah. At least everyone will be distracted by him and that girl won't mess with you."

"I doubt that but thanks for the hope." She smiled. "I'm really glad you came with me tonight."

"Hey, you know—anything for a friend."

"Oh, and your laptop's almost done. I'll give it to you tomorrow."

He'd forgotten about that part.

"Well, well, it seems like Greasy Girl has figured out how soap works," sneered a voice nearby. The girl was a swan with long brown hair tied in a braid. Her dress was clearly designer and she wore _heels_. To a junior high dance.

"Sara," June greeted her coldly.

"Where'd you get your dress? Thrift store? It would make sense."

"It makes more sense for a junior high dance than designer. At least I'll wear this more than once."

"You're not even wearing dress shoes. Are those your stupid sneakers?"

"Yes. Because I'd rather be comfortable than stumbling around in shoes that don't even fit me correctly." Louie covered his mouth to stop the 'OH' that wanted to escape. This got Sara's attention and she turned to him.

"And who are you? You don't go here."

"Louie Duck. Pleasure to meet you, Sara." He had a little smirk and June knew what that meant. "I'm June's date."

"June got a date. Okay, how much is she paying you?"

"Nothing but her time. At least she has one. Where's yours?"

"I don't have one because I'm too good for it." She flipped her braid back over her shoulder.

"More like they're too good for you." Her two sidekicks gasped.

"Whatever. I'm done wasting my time with a nobody like you, Louie Duck."

Sara and her posse walked away. June let out a sigh of relief, turning to Louie.

"Thanks, Lou."

"Don't mention it. So, what do you usually do at these things?"

"I don't usually go, but April's gone to a couple. It's mainly awkward dancing and eating terrible food. And talking in the corner with your friends."

They both looked back out at the dance floor, where Dewey was being cheered on by several kids (and booed by a couple more). June blinked; what was that behind everybody? Were those shadows moving? Her eyes widened.

"We have to clear everyone out," she whispered. "There's shadow magic going on."

He nodded and without hesitation they dashed out onto the floor just as Dewey took notice of the moving shadows himself. The middle triplet rushed off, but the other kids ignored June and Louie's pleas to leave. That was when the shadows began to transform. Rather than turning into the students as Louie had expected, the shadows instead became… different things. Every person who faced a shadow found themselves dealing with something different and they were clearly terrified.

"What is it?" June asked.

"I don't know! Over there it's a spider and over here it's… a big fan?"

"That's because it's a fear-beast," cackled a voice that Louie knew all too well.

"Magica de Spell," he spat.

"Ooh, it's the green one."

Dewey leapt up to tackle her but she dodge him easily, holding him away from her with her shadow powers.

"As I was saying, this is a fear-beast. Whatever you fear is what it will turn into, and there's no way to stop it!"

"Why would you unleash that at a school dance?!" April yelled.

"Because you're here. And it's funny."

Webby's efforts to get to Magica were thwarted when the fear-beast appeared in front of her, turning into Lena. Thankfully the pink-clad duckling was too smart to fall for that bit, but it began to ripple and warp as the fake Lena screamed in pain. The sight of her best friend hurting made Webby freeze and go to help her.

"What do we do?" whimpered May.

"Give me a minute to figure something out," Louie said to June.

"Oh, no you don't." Magica raised her arms and the floor broke apart to reveal more fear-beasts. The one approaching June turned into a clown, laughing and smirking as it approached her. She didn't hesitate and smacked it in the face before delivering a kick to its jaw.

"NICE!" yelled Dewey.

"I'll keep them off you so you can think," she assured Louie, backing into him.

Louie nodded, glancing around. It was then he noticed the dance floor was littered with a few glowing tiles. Runes, maybe? Webby or Violet would know but the latter wasn't here and the former was occupied.

"I think those runes might do something," he told his companion. "I can't read them, though."

"So what, we just start hopping on tiles?"

April broke away from a skeleton by using one of her shoes to crack its skull and her eyes landed on the floor. She'd never seen those runes before but… in her mind, their meaning was as clear as if they had been in English. 'Fear'. 'Death'. 'Fire'. 'Thorns'. 'Safety.'

"That one!" She pointed to the 'safety' rune. "Go to that one!"

"Since _when_ can you read runes?" May yelled.

"I don't know! I just know that one's safe!"

June and Louie nodded to each other and June hopped onto the tile April had pointed out. Nothing bad happened. Experimentally, Louie picked up a shoe one of the fleeing kids had lost and dropped it on a different tile. It was incinerated by fire.

"So only these ones," June stated.

Louie glanced around at the floor and he suddenly had an idea.

"June, I believe I owe you a dance."

"What? We're about to be consumed by a fear-beast and your reaction is to ask me to dance?"

"This is a _dance floor_ , isn't it?" She blinked and her cheeks turned red.

"Right. Right. Sorry." She held out her hand and he leapt to another safety tile that was just a couple away.

Immediately the fear-beasts took notice. They knew what would happen if the two figured everything out and they didn't want to lose their newfound freedom that Magica had afforded them. They began to swarm Louie and June as the runes on the tiles began to change. April's eyes scanned the floor.

"You know which ones mean safe!" she called. "Just focus on that and not the fear-beasts!"

Dewey took the opportunity to make his way over to the abandoned speakers and laptop that held all the music for the dance. He picked a song. It blared throughout the gym as Louie and June began to move in sync, moving from tile to tile. Louie's eyes were either on the tiles or June. With each step and every rune they touched, the fear-beasts grew weaker. The rhythm of the music set in and Louie spun her on one of the tiles.

"Step on that one!" April advised, pointing to a different tile. To them it meant nothing but it said 'banishment'.

Trusting in the eldest female triplet, Louie stepped on the tile, accidentally pulling June towards him. He managed to catch her just as the entire floor lit up. The fear-beasts screamed in pain as they faded from existence and the light hit Magica in just the right way to send her reeling back.

When the light faded, Louie was still holding June in a dip. Both of them blushed bright red as they once again stood upright. June dusted off her dress with a shy smile. Then applause broke out around the gym as the other attendants of the dance emerged from their hiding spots. Several kids came up to thank the group of seven for what they'd done to protect everyone. The attention was a little too much, though, and June backed away. Sara let out a scoff and narrowed her eyes.

"Figures you'd hate this. Loser."

"Can I punch her?" Webby whispered.

"No. She'll just scratch your eyes out," replied June with an eye roll.

Magica escaped but they knew they hadn't seen her for the last time.

* * *

"Magica de Spell to F.O.W.L. The plan failed."

_"The fear-beasts failed? Well, then the plan succeeded."_

"How so?"

_"Our plan, Magica, is to make them think that others are a bigger threat while Agent Iris gathers intel from inside the mansion. You very much succeeded in doing so."_

"So now what?"

_"Now we wait. Be ready for our next task."_

Magica shut off the communicator and grabbed her staff, making her exit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I have run out of ideas. I may do a time-skip to when they're older (because they're children and I'm not making children start dating) or if you all want I can do another gen-swap chapter while I'm trying to work out what I'm going to do. Or I can post one of the two alternate versions of how the triplets met the triplets. I have a lot of options until I can go back to the normal part of this AU.
> 
> Also, yes, I touched upon April's magic again. Our girl can read runes like they're written in English and they respond to her. No, I will not explain at this point in time… mostly because I'm still working that out. I write myself into corners that I have to write myself out of.
> 
> BIG REQUEST—PLEASE REVIEW AND SHARE THIS STORY. I am review-hungry because they make me feel like I'm doing something good. I also want more people to read this so recommend it to your friends so Daisy's nieces can get more love. Honestly, I'm shocked the fandom hasn't picked them up much; they're three adorable little girls.
> 
> Anyway, I'll see you next time!
> 
> So long and thanks for all the fish!


	10. High School Sucks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time skip chapter because I had an idea!
> 
> From here on chapters will not be in chronological order, as I may jump from time period to time period while I brainstorm. I thought a kind of stereotypical situation would work well so deal with it. If this seems a little all over the place, I apologize. I had a bunch of ideas and this is really a snapshot of the future with foreshadowing of future chapters.

As the sun beat down over the jungle, all was quiet.

Until, that is, a jeep swept over the forest floor. The destination was clear as day—a temple that sat in the distance. In the passenger seat was a teenage duck reading an ancient-looking map. He looked up, revealing his red baseball cap.

"Turn right up ahead," he told the driver. She was a teenager as well, a pretty girl with long hair in a ponytail.

"You got it."

"How far is it?" sighed the boy in the hoodie in the backseat.

"Not far now, Louie," replied the girl in the pink bow beside him. "The Temple of the Wind God is one of the few Scrooge was never able to find. But we will, thanks to that map."

"All right, first teen-team adventure!" cheered the last occupant of the car, a boy in blue. "Shame April and May couldn't make it."

"My sisters have decided that adventuring isn't for them," June sighed. "Me, on the other hand—any chance to drive I'll take."

Yes, the family of Scrooge McDuck was growing up. They'd found their places as adventurers while Scrooge was able to relax back in Duckburg. True to form, too. Huey served as their navigator and strategist. Webby and Dewey were an unstoppable team in the field with their combined confidence and knowledge. Louie was their negotiator as well as the escape artist. And June was the driver and mechanic who made sure they got out safely. Together the five were a force to be reckoned with.

June brought the jeep to a stop where there was no more room to drive. They got out and she shoved the keys in her backpack as they began to navigate through the jungle on foot. Huey still had the map in his hands, guiding the team as they made their way through the thick brush and trees. Webby climbed up to get a better view to make sure they were still going the right way.

"AH!" June tripped over an exposed root and Louie immediately stopped to help her up. "Thanks, Lionheart."

"Don't mention it." He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek while his brothers and Webby weren't looking.

Oh, yes, June and Louie were together after years of crushing on each other. It was an open secret at the moment, given that it was relatively new for them. After events had gone down with F.O.W.L, he'd given her the space she needed to figure herself out and grieve for her lost relationship with her mother. But she'd gotten through it with his support and now, well… he was her boyfriend. Nothing had really changed between them save for showing more physical affection when nobody was looking.

Finally the temple came into view and they approached with the same level of caution they'd been taught by their mentor. Entering it proved to be relatively safe for the intrepid young adventurers and Huey tossed pieces of crumbling rock ahead of them to check for traps.

"I can't believe Uncle Scrooge never found this place," Dewey commented. "I mean, we're new to doing this on our own and we found it."

"That's because the map was lost for centuries," Webby replied. "We have it and Scrooge didn't."

"And it's thanks to Louie's silver tongue," June added with a wink that only her boyfriend could see. His cheeks burned so fiercely they almost glowed in the relative darkness.

"STOP!"

Huey held out his arms and stopped everyone just as a pit opened up in front of him. Wordlessly he nodded to Webby, who hopped up to grab a protruding rafter and swung across the gap. A quick press of a switch brought the floor back up and unlike it had shortly before the whole family game night disaster, it did not spit up hundreds of arrows to pierce their bodies. The remaining group made it across effortlessly.

"I do sometimes wonder what kind of engineering they had in these civilizations," June mused.

"Oh, I'd love to study the mechanics of these temples as much as you would, June, but we don't have much time. We have to be back in Duckburg by tomorrow morning."

June rolled her eyes and Louie whistled from up ahead, where he'd rushed forward.

"Treasure's here!" he called.

They ran up to join him and he pointed to an idol that looked like a feathered serpent. It was made of something that shone like silver but wasn't silver. He looked at it in confusion.

"It's platinum," Webby told him. "The Spaniards considered it 'poor man's silver', even though it's rarer and more useful than gold."

"So what, do we still take it?"

"Of course. That's on you."

"Got the sandbag," June spoke up, handing it to Louie. He grabbed the idol and set down the bag, successfully not setting off the booby trap.

"Let's go before—" Dewey started, but he was cut off as someone nearby growled.

"Well, well, if it isn't the teen terrors," sneered Glomgold, coming out of the hallway with hired goons on either side. "Thank ya fer findin' my idol!"

"Oh, but you see, this isn't made of gold," Louie stated. "So why would you want it?"

"Not made of gold!?" Glomgold stomped forwards and looked at it. "It's not silver, either! It's made of somethin' else!"

"We're just taking it back for historical purposes."

"It won't make ya rich, laddie, so go right on ahead. Bah! Wastin' my time…"

He stomped out with his goons, and Louie tossed the idol to June. She put it in her backpack. However, that was when one of Glomgold's goons chose to pounce and tackled her to the ground.

"It's platinum!" the woman yelled. "Give it to me!"

"Get off me, lady!" June kicked her in the stomach and sent her reeling. The woman stumbled back and knocked off the sandbag. Around them the temple started crumbling. A piece landed on June's leg and she screamed in pain.

"Get June! We have to get out of here!" Huey called. Louie got the piece of rubble off June and pulled her onto his back.

"Ow. Ankle's busted," she told him.

"You sure?"

"Do you know how many time's I've sprained it doing tricks on my skates? I know it's busted."

They ran out the entrance and watched as the exit crumbled to dust. Thankfully they were all safe, and Webby took the opportunity to make a splint for June out of some vines and sticks to set her ankle until they could get to a hospital. It was good enough for the purple-clad girl to be able to drive them back to civilization and the airport, where they caught their ride back to Duckburg.

After all, they still had school in the morning.

* * *

"So how was your trip?"

"Interesting," Huey replied, sitting down next to Violet in the cafeteria.

"I have noticed that June is on crutches. How did she get injured?"

"Collapsing temple—you know, normal stuff," Dewey informed her.

"It's a good thing Louie's helping her out," Webby added. "He's still got such a big crush on her. It's adorable."

"Yeah, Webs, it stopped being adorable and started being weird when we hit high school. I kinda wish he would just ask her out already."

"What did you find in Central America?" Violet inquired.

"A platinum idol to the feathered serpent," Webby explained. "Scrooge said he was glad it wasn't more gold because he'd probably lose it."

"Hey guys!" June greeted them, coming over on her crutches. Louie was carrying her lunch.

"June. Did you not inquire with April about healing runes?"

"I did, but she said she'd do it this afternoon. For now it's crutches all the way." She sat down and Louie took the spot next to her. "I don't mind, though. I was fine before we found out about her abilities and I'm fine now."

"So how bad did Aunt Daisy chew you out?" snickered Dewey.

"Eh, not so bad. She was more focused on getting me to the hospital to get my leg checked out. And Uncle Donald said that this wasn't so bad. He's apparently gotten hurt worse on missions. Della told me that at least I can keep my leg."

"No driving till it's fixed."

"Yep. Standard stuff." She grinned. "But at least I can still work in shop class."

"Aren't Mom and Launchpad teaching you enough? Not to mention Gyro and Fenton," Huey pointed out.

"Yeah, but there's a difference between what I learn here and what they teach me. I learn advanced with them but I learn basics here. Plus I need the class credit." She took a bite of her sandwich.

"Well, any ideas where we should go next?" Webby piped up. "You know, after June's leg heals."

"If possible, I'd like to go along," Violet stated. "I could use a break from everyday life."

"We've been on a few lately, so we're taking a break," Louie sighed. "I need one."

"He means Uncle Scrooge is teaching him how to run McDuck Enterprises," Huey deadpanned.

"Hey, he's leaving it in my hands. What am I supposed to do—not learn how to run the biggest company on earth?"

Under the table, June gave his hand a reassuring squeeze.

"When you do decide, please let me know. Lena will be home from college in a few weeks for break and I'd like for us all to spend time together."

"YAY!" Webby cheered. "All of us back together again!"

"It _has_ been a while," agreed Huey.

"More like _forever_!"

"She only left for college a month and a half ago, Webby."

"But she was here all the _time_ before!"

"Aw, missing your girlfriend?"

All six at the table looked up to see none other than Sara Chandler and her two minions. June rolled her eyes.

"I _am_ missing her, Sara," Webby snapped.

"Ugh. You're no fun."

"Okay, I know you're not here to talk about Webby's relationship," June sighed, setting down her food. "What is it?"

"Nothing. I just wanted you all to know that there's a party going on this weekend down at the beach and most of you aren't invited."

"Who is?" Huey asked.

"Louie." June choked on her seltzer water and started coughing, Louie patting her on the back.

"I'm sorry, what?!" Dewey growled, clearly offended.

"Out of all of you he's the one who's the least dorky. Plus…" She looked directly at him. "You're cute. And I'm the most popular girl in school. We're a perfect couple."

"Except for the fact that we're not a couple. Not to mention that I don't like you in the slightest." June recovered from her coughing. "Besides, I have plans this weekend."

"What plans?" Sara stood upright and crossed her arms. "Playing games with the loser brigade?"

"I'm helping June out with her project for automotive."

"You're helping Greasy Girl?"

"I like having help," June spoke up. "It makes it less lonely."

"Figures. You _are_ lonely. That's why you have the crutches—for sympathy, right?"

"Nope. Hurt my leg in Central America over the weekend."

"Well, whatever. Louie, I'll see you on Friday."

Louie had a look of 'is she serious?' plastered on his face along with a hint of disgust as the president of the drama club left them alone.

"I have an idea!" June told him. "We give Doofus Drake the party info and make _him_ Sara's date."

"Hm… do we hate Sara enough…?"

"She's the worst!" Dewey insisted. "I agree with June. Let's do it!"

June's phone alarm went off.

"Oh. I have to get to shop class. Louie, can you put my stuff in my locker?"

"Not a problem."

"See ya!" She hobbled off on her crutches.

"Are you really helping her with her project?" Violet inquired.

"Yeah, I am."

"Really. Because I think you two are going on a date." Dewey's eyes widened.

"Dang it. I thought we were being subtle."

"You were. I'm just observant. You have had a crush on June since you were eleven. She has had one on you since she was ten. Out of all of us the only person you're closer to than your brothers is her and I happened to see you kiss her this morning before you two split up for first period."

"WHAT?!" Dewey yelled excitedly. "You actually—wow! This is awesome!"

"Sh, keep it down," Louie hissed. "June and I—it's pretty new. We're still trying to figure everything out and it's not easy. We aren't ready for people to know."

"Aw, makes sense," Webby gushed. "Lena and I were the same way when we started dating. But in our case it was because we weren't sure how some people in our lives would take two girls in a relationship."

"Yeah, well… part of me is still thinking I'll wake up in the morning and it will turn out not to be real. Like it was never real in the first place."

"I think you'll be fine," Huey assured him. "You and June have made a great team since the first time you met."

Louie gave him a cautious smile.

* * *

As it turned out, Sara's party was the talk of the school. June worked on her project in the automotive classroom and it was all any of her classmates could talk about. Wyatt, one of the popular guys who considered the class one for blowing off, walked over to June.

"So, listen. What do you say you be my date to the party on Friday?"

"Can't." She tightened a bolt. "I'm busy."

"It'll be fantastic. We'll have fun and you'll get away from engines for a night. And you'll have a date with a popular guy."

"I already have a date that night, and I'm not going to Sara's party because Sara is the worst." She stood up, wrench still in hand. "Please leave me alone."

Wyatt blinked. He pulled out his phone as she went back to work and he started to text his friends, trying to figure out who June Duck was dating. Word spread fast and by the end of the day everyone was asking her who she was going out with on Friday instead of going with Wyatt to Sara's party. It was so dumb and she managed to get out to the car with the help of her sisters and the boys. Webby covered them from the back, yelling "BACK! BACK, YOU BEASTS!"

"Ugh, this is stupid!" June groaned as she got into the passenger seat and passed her crutches back to April. Dewey had taken over driving duties until April fixed her youngest sister's leg.

"What the heck happened?" Huey asked.

"Wyatt Quacks tried to ask me to be his date to Sara's party and I told him I had a date on Friday night. Why can't people mind their own business? Great googly moogly…"

"Maybe we should just stay in that night," Louie sighed from directly behind her. "They know, by the way."

"Oh. Yeah, we could stay in."

"But that means you have to tell the family," pointed out May. "I mean, how would Uncle Scrooge take the two of you snogging on the couch?"

"Snogging? Since when are we British?"

"I like the word. Plus it's probably the one he would use to describe it."

Webby nodded in agreement.

"Fine. We'll come clean to the family but nobody else, okay, Lionheart?"

"Sounds good to me."

When they arrived home, the first thing they did was have April use a healing rune on June's leg. Scrooge let April use her abilities only if it meant making sure the family was safe. Her runes were actually carved all along the stone wall that separated Killmotor Hill from the rest of Duckburg, all in the name of protection. Healing magic was pushing it but June was the primary driver since Launchpad had gone to live in St. Canard with Drake and Gosalyn permanently and having her out of commission wasn't an option.

As it turned out, however, Della and Daisy had both figured out the truth behind Louie and June's relationship and Daisy had told Donald. Scrooge was a little apprehensive (as he was about all romantic relationships, thank you Goldie) and Mrs. Beakley just warned them to take it slowly.

All in all, it went pretty well.

* * *

June awoke to the sound of her door creaking open. She sat up a little, blearily blinking sleep from her eyes as she realized it was Louie. Without a word she scooched over in bed and he crawled in next to her. His arms wrapped around her as he nestled his chin in the crook of her neck. Neither of them said a word as they fell asleep like that, holding each other for the sake of making the night a little easier to get through.

It wasn't unusual for this to happen. When you'd been through as much as they had, sometimes you had nightmares that meant you needed a little comfort or that wouldn't let you sleep alone. It also helped that June loved cuddling and never hesitated when he needed that extra bit of love in the middle of the night. He was a touchy-feely kind of person. He also made her feel safe.

The incidents with her mother, despite happening four years earlier, had left her with paranoia that she was never safe. Even after the therapy the feeling never quite left her that everyone was either going to leave her or plotting against her. Honestly Louie was the only person who had never made her feel that way. He'd been by her side since she was ten years old and he was her best friend in the world.

"…I love you."

Her voice was whispered, almost silent. For a moment she was sure he hadn't heard, then…

"…I love you, too."

And with that, she went to sleep for the night with a smile on her face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slightly shorter biz this time around but I thought it was cute.
> 
> So long and thanks for all the fish!


	11. Snapshots (Gen-Swap 2, Electric Boogaloo)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A short series of snapshots from my version of the gen-swap AU while I'm working on a bigger chapter. I took Thursday off to just give myself time to chill but I'm back, baby!
> 
> Some of these are light-hearted, others are more heavy, but I worked hard to bring them to you.
> 
> Here we go!

_**Spending the Night** _

Louie yawned as he entered the dining room.

Mrs. Beakley had set out his typical breakfast already and he sat down as Della, Webby, and Donald ran in to join him. Dewey wasn't far behind. Huey was there, too, reading some new books on marine biology he'd gotten from his job.

"What are you kids planning today?" Louie asked.

"We're going to Funzo's!" replied Della brightly. "June's gonna drive us!"

"Speaking of June, should I set a place for her this morning?" Mrs. Beakley spoke up, crossing her arms. Louie choked on his coffee.

"W-what are you talking about? She's not here!"

And as if the universe was bound and determined to screw him over, it was at that moment June entered the dining room with messy bedhead and wearing one of his shirts with a pair of sleep pants. He counted his lucky stars on that point but Mrs. Beakley gave him a pointed look.

"Hi, June!" Della greeted her, smiling broadly. "Your hair looks crazy."

"It gets like this sometimes. It's usually a sign that I need to trim it soon."

"I didn't know June slept over last night," Webby remarked.

"Your uncle happens to have a thing for cuddling," giggled June before turning to Mrs. Beakley. "I can fix my own breakfast, Mrs. B. I've been doing it since I was a kid."

"All right, then."

June disappeared into the kitchen and Huey fixed his youngest brother with a glare.

"What?"

"I'll tell you later when the kids aren't around."

"I'm gonna go help June!" Della declared, dragging Webby and Donald with her. She'd apparently taken the hint.

"Seriously, she spent the night! We didn't do anything!" Louie's cheeks were burning bright red.

"Sure. And I'm guessing she was in one of the guest rooms." Huey's tone communicated that he definitely wasn't pleased.

"No, she was with me."

"Louie, I don't have a problem with you being in a relationship with her. My problem is the example you're setting for the kids."

"Huey…"

"Hey, leave him alone," Dewey insisted. Mrs. Beakley took the opportunity to exit the room.

"I'm just… I know we're all adults here, but I'd like our babies to stay babies a while longer. So why'd she spend the night?"

"Let's see… it's more convenient since she took over from Launchpad, I like her company, I like cuddling with her, and she's my girlfriend. Just because we share a bed doesn't mean that we're—"

Louie was cut off as the door to the kitchen fell open to reveal the kids had been listening in on the conversation. June was standing behind them holding a bowl of cereal.

"Uh… I think the kids have an eavesdropping problem," she told the guys, pointing her spoon downwards.

"We don't!" squeaked Della, glancing up. "Aunt June, I promise!"

"Sure, Dells. You go finish eating your breakfast and then we'll head down to the arcade once I shower."

Huey again crossed his arms at Louie, who threw his in the air as if to say 'what do you want from me?'

* * *

_**Nieces** _

"I can't stay for dinner. Sorry."

"Why not?" Della asked with a pout.

"A friend of mine called. She needs me to babysit her daughter."

"Why can't you babysit me and Donald and Webby instead?"

"Well… it's a complicated situation. But her daughter is actually my niece."

"Like a real niece?" Della's eyes were wide.

"Biologically, yes."

"Whoa, which of the sisters had a baby?" Dewey asked, coming into the room.

"May. Actually, her daughter's about Della and Donald's age… her name's Daisy."

Donald choked on the cup of water he was drinking.

"Daisy's your niece! That's awesome!" Della cheered. "Donald has a massive crush on her."

"Oh, well good to know."

"I don't have a crush on Daisy!" Donald insisted. "Della just keeps—"

"Donald, there's nothing wrong with having a crush."

"It's called a crush for a reason, June Bug," Dewey told her pointedly.

"Every situation is different, Dewford."

"You and Louie when we were kids."

"That was _not_ my fault."

"Why did he call you the name Uncle Louie calls you?" Della piped up.

"Because he wants to annoy me. Bug is my middle name. My mother was… the _worst_." She shuddered a little. "I could talk to Violet about bringing Daisy by if it's okay with Scrooge."

"He knows Daisy," Donald informed her. "I'm sure he wouldn't mind."

"It'll be you, me, and Louie with them, Webby, and Lena," Dewey warned.

"Believe me, I can handle my nieces and nephew." Della gasped happily.

"You called me your niece."

"Yes, I did. Because you are."

"When are you and Uncle Louie getting married?"

"DELLA!" Donald snapped.

"What? I want it to be official." June ruffled Della's hair but neither twin nor Dewey failed to notice the red in her cheeks.

"Don't worry about it. You're already officially my niece in my book. Just like Donald is my only nephew."

"Aw," Donald muttered.

"I'll be back soon. I promise."

* * *

_**Sleep-Deprived** _

As the moon outside continued to set, Louie focused on the paperwork in front of him.

With Bradford and the other members of the board having betrayed Scrooge and the company, it left Louie in a position where he had so much more to do. It meant he had little time for anything but work. That included eating and sleeping. He often stayed up several nights in a row now, no matter how much his family tried to convince him to get some rest. There was no time for rest, not when the family was in danger and he had to run McDuck Enterprises single-handedly. Who could he trust?

"Lionheart?"

He half-turned to see June in the doorway to his office.

"Hey, June." He went back to work. "What do you need?"

"I need you to go to sleep."

"No time. Sorry. I need to finish all this."

"No, you need sleep. It's been three days. This isn't healthy."

"Well, if I don't do it, who will? Nobody."

"Louie, please."

"Leave me alone, June." He could feel that famous McDuck anger rising and while it was strongest in Huey, it did come out of him at the worst times.

_Don't lose control!_

"I'm worried about you. Please, just go to bed. You'll feel better in the morning."

"June, I'm the only person running this company now. This needs to be done."

"You're no good to anyone like this." She put a hand on his shoulder. "We're worried about you."

"Maybe you shouldn't be. I didn't matter to this family for ten years. Nobody cared that I was put in this position before I was ready. Nobody stopped Huey from tearing this family apart. Nothing stopped Dewey from getting stuck on the moon. And nothing stopped you from leaving me behind when we were kids."

"Just because I wasn't here doesn't mean I stopped caring."

"Yeah, right." The words came out before he could stop them. "Just like your mother. She cares about you so much even though she left you behind."

As soon as the words left his mouth he saw the hurt on her face.

Iris Duck, when they were kids, had been an agent of S.H.U.S.H alongside Mrs. Beakley. It had recently surfaced that Iris was now working for F.O.W.L and June had confessed that her mother left the family behind after they moved to New Stork City. Until the revelation of the villainous organization none of the Duck sisters had seen or heard anything from their mother. Iris didn't care that her youngest daughter was connected to the McDuck family; she'd gone as far to personally fight June not long before and force her youngest daughter to cause harm to the woman who'd birthed her.

She'd cried herself to sleep in his arms that night after he'd patched her injuries.

"June—"

"No. You know what? I can't see you right now. Just… go to bed. You're not thinking straight, Llewellyn."

Oh. Oh, he'd _really_ messed up. She had not once in the twenty-plus years they'd known each other called him Llewellyn. He could hear her sniff as she headed down the hall away from his office.

He stared down at the papers. They could wait until morning. He needed some sleep and then he'd apologize to her. That had been way out of line.

She wasn't in their room. She'd apparently taken the guest room down the hall, the one furthest from him. His heart cracked a little at hearing her sob into her pillow. That's it, he was _definitely_ apologizing in the morning if his family didn't kill him first for what he'd said.

He almost couldn't fall asleep from the guilt but he managed.

When morning came and he emerged from his room, he discovered that Scrooge had gone into the office alone. Huey and Dewey had sent texts telling him they'd taken the kids out for the day. An additional text from Della just had the angry emoji and a 'YOU NEED MORE SLEEP OR YOU'RE GONNA LOSE MY COOL AUNT'. He found June in the dining room, running her fingers over a mug of hot cocoa. Her eyes were downcast, refusing to meet his.

"I want to say I'm sorry, but sorry can't make up for what I did."

Silence.

"You're the last person in the world I want to hurt. Everything that's happened over the past couple months has had me beyond stressed out. It's hard to sleep and it's easier to bury myself in my work than face it. And what happened with your mom—great googly moogly that was bad. I know it was bad. I was just so sleep deprived that I wanted to—to lash out. I knew it would hurt you to bring it up and I did it anyway."

He glared down at the carpet with angry tears in his eyes.

"June, I love you, and I'm sorry that I let myself get like that."

In his tear-filled blurry vision, he didn't notice that she'd gotten up from the table.

"I should never do that to people I care about, especially not my family. Because like it or not, you're stuck with this family now. I can't let you go again, not after—"

Her arms wrapped around him and he felt her tears soaking through his shirt.

"She told me that I was supposed to be alone," June hiccupped. "That nobody was supposed to care about me and that anyone who did was only doing it because they wanted something."

"No. Not me." He tightened his arms around her.

"I know. But you need to take care of yourself. You're no good to anyone if you drop dead from exhaustion."

"This from the workaholic mechanic." There was laughter in his voice.

"Okay, but I listen when you drag me off to bed, buster." She had a hint of laughter and the tension was gone, melted like ice in hot water. "I think you need to take a day off. Scrooge said he'd go in for the day so you can rest."

"I didn't get a lot of sleep last night, honestly. I didn't have someone hogging the blanket."

"It was too quiet in the guest room. Nobody was snoring."

He chuckled and hugged her tighter.

"I love you so much."

"I love you too."

* * *

_**Technical Difficulties** _

June narrowed her eyes at the tech Mark Beaks had brought her.

"This seems like a dangerous project," she told him. "A self-driving car with a personality… I don't think this is a good idea."

"Listen, sweetheart, I didn't hire you to do what I do. I hired you to take care of the car." He tilted his head towards the car that would be a 'Waddle-brand achievement for the ages!' "If you can't do that, I'll have to find a more qualified mechanic."

"I'm more than qualified, Mr. Beaks." She picked up her toolbox and went over to the half-finished vehicle. "I can finish the car."

"Great! Let me know when it's done so we can test it."

B.U.D.D.Y watched her with that smiley-face screen as she worked on the engine. She muttered to herself about lousy clients before reaching for a wrench, only to find that it wasn't in her toolbox. It must've fallen out. Then she felt a tap on her shoulder and there was the robot, extending its arm to give her the needed instrument.

"Wow, thanks. You're pretty smart. I find it hard to believe Mark Beaks made you."

The mechanical marvel nodded and sat by her side, learning about the car as she explained each component. Even if he was a robot, he was still someone to talk to. But she quickly learned that B.U.D.D.Y had a bit of a temper. This only solidified her thought that this had not been a creation of Mark Beaks but rather someone who actually had the intellect and the drive to create something like this.

Eventually the car was done. And after some testing Mark decided B.U.D.D.Y was ready to go on the market, despite her advising him not to do it because of the robot's temper. She had known Huey Duck as a child. She knew what a volatile rage could do (on the few occasions he'd lost his cool). But Mark Beaks was the oh-so-amazing CEO of Waddle and he knew better than some mechanic he'd hired because he thought she looked good and did good work.

_Sexist jerk._

At least she reconnected with her childhood friends because of the incident, so some good came out of it.

* * *

_**Support** _

As soon as she heard the door to the garage slam shut, she stood up.

There, standing in the doorway, was Della with tears in her eyes. Wordlessly the girl rushed towards her and buried her face in June's stomach. June gently stroked her head, kneeling down to hug her better.

"Della, what happened?"

"Uncle Scrooge lost my dad in space."

They'd finally found out the truth. Or at least part of it.

"I can't believe nobody ever told us! Did you know?"

"I knew bits and pieces but… I warned them. I told them that you deserved to know."

"I don't wanna see Uncle Scrooge anymore."

"Della—"

"I came to say goodbye. Donald and I are gonna go back to the old house with Uncle Huey."

Warning bells went off in June's head. She'd heard Louie tell her about how miserable life at the manor had been without Huey, Dewey, and the kids. And by the sounds of it, the family was starting to break apart again. If it had nearly destroyed Scrooge last time, what would it do now? Della let go of June and wiped her eyes.

"Bye, Aunt June. I'll miss you."

"Dells…"

Della ran out of the garage, the door once again slamming shut behind her.

June immediately ran out after her, finding that the car was already packed and the twins inside. Scrooge was nowhere to be seen. Mrs. Beakley had also packed her own car intending to go on a vacation. As the two vehicles peeled off (and the limo with Launchpad wasn't far behind), she went into the house. She found Louie in the bedroom that had belonged to Della and Donald, staring at a picture in his hands with a blank expression on his face.

"Lionheart?"

"Hey, June." She sat down next to him and looked at the photo.

Dewey sat between his brothers on a couch, Scrooge standing behind them. In Dewey's arms were a pair of eggs. All four sets of eyes were on the precious bundles.

"What do I do?" His voice was breaking. "I can't… not again. I can't watch this family break apart again."

"Louie, it won't."

"How do you know?"

"Because this isn't a family breaking apart. Emotions were running high and everyone needs space but you."

"Seems like it's breaking to me. This is what happened with Dewey all over again."

Her arms wrapped around him.

"But this time you have me. I might not be family but I'm someone who's not gonna leave until this is fixed. Fixing is what I do." He let out a humorless chuckle. "Hey. I will go and drag those kids back if I have to. Della will listen to me."

Louie stared down at the photo again then up at her.

"You know what it feels like, don't you?" She nodded.

"My mother left our family right after we moved. She just walked out the door for work and never came back. No note, no phone call, nothing. I found out while we were in high school that she was working for S.H.U.S.H and disappeared on a mission. Dad didn't tell us for the same reason you guys didn't tell the twins what happened to Dewey. All three of us walked out of the house because we were so angry at him for hiding the truth, but… we still came back. Because he was our family and we needed him as much as he needed us."

"I need the twins. And Huey. They're…"

"Your family." She gave him a comforting hug and he returned it. "Besides, I remember somebody telling me when we were kids that Ducks don't back down. Why do it now?"

"You're right."

"I'm always right."

"Even that time you told Dewey you could do a backflip of the half-pipe you two built in the backyard and you broke your ankle?"

"And my wrist. Don't forget my wrist."

He chuckled.

"Thanks, June. I needed that."

"I'm not going anywhere. I'll be right down the hall if you need me in one of the guest rooms… if that's okay with you."

"Oh, of course it's fine."

She smiled and disappeared out the door.

* * *

_**Old Friend** _

Dewey heard music as he headed towards the garage.

A woman was working on the limo back there, rocking out to the Powerline classic of "Stand Out" as she bent over the engine. He didn't know who she was, probably a mechanic they'd hired if that picture of Launchpad McQuack they had was any indication of the new pilot's driving abilities.

"Hey?" he called. She yelped and stumbled backwards before regaining her footing. Dusting herself off, she turned around and her eyes widened upon seeing him.

"Dewey?!"

"Uh, sorry, who are you?"

"Guess it _has_ been a while. Last time you saw me I was wearing a pair of homemade roller skates and trying to show off my skills." He blinked and his eyes lit up.

"No way—June?!"

"Yep, in the flesh!"

"You work for Uncle Scrooge now?"

"Thanks to your daughter. By the way, I think her puppy-dog eyes should count as a legal weapon. You can _not_ say no to her once those things light up."

"I haven't seen them yet, sorry."

"Trust me, you'll know when you see them. April's have nothing on hers."

She picked up the wrench she'd dropped.

"It was nice to see you again. I'd better get back to work before Launchpad takes this thing out again."

"Right. The new pilot."

"He's a sweet guy, Dewey. Give him a chance to be your friend."

"You're not—"

"No. Now go spend time with your kids."

"Can do, June Bug."

"Goodbye, Dewford. See you later!"

He chuckled and exited the garage.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like I said, this was a small series of shorts to tide you all over while I work on my next big chapter that ties into the story with Iris and F.O.W.L. And yes, that part with Louie and June's fight over his sleep schedule hurt to write.
> 
> So long and thanks for all the fish!


	12. An Alternate Beginning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like I said a couple chapters back, I had a couple of alternate beginnings for this story and this chapter is one of them. The versions of the girls in this chapter are essentially beta versions, so forgive inconsistencies with their characters.

Louie was glad to have a break.

He loved adventuring, don't get him wrong, but sometimes everyone needed a chance to get out and have a small one to just enjoy themselves. Just to relax. Hence why he, Huey, and Dewey were at the skate park with their mother. Huey was decked out in full padding with his skateboard below his feet. Della had insisted on all three of them wearing proper protection in case they crashed into something or someone. She herself was already at it.

"This is dumb," sighed Louie.

"C'mon, we need to relax," Dewey insisted.

"How is this relaxing? We're still doing physical activity."

"Well, you could just watch us and Mom," Huey suggested. "There's sure to be a bunch of people who are fun to see."

Louie rolled his eyes as his brothers headed off to have their fun. He sat down on a bench and sipped a can of PEP. Della, of course, was attracting plenty of attention with her skill (and robot leg). Dewey was seeking attention. Huey was trying to do everything in the safest way possible. Eventually the eldest gave up and came to sit with Louie.

"This was a terrible idea," he told the youngest.

"I know."

"At least Mom and Dewey are having fun. That's what matters."

"I'd rather be home watching _Ottoman Empire_."

Suddenly someone shot out of the half-pipe in front of them, skidding to a stop. It was a duckling wearing a pair of purple overalls and a white T-shirt underneath. Louie rolled his eyes again— _another showoff_ —and pulled out his phone. Unfortunately, Huey made the decision to start talking to whoever it was.

"Nice skates."

"Thanks. They're custom rollerblades."

"How long did it take you?"

"I'm always fiddling with them—trying to go faster, improve stopping, things like that." Louie glanced up to see her holding out a hand to Huey. "I'm June. You?"

"Huey. And this is my brother, Louie."

"It's nice to meet you both." She glanced from side to side. "Have either of you seen a purple bag?"

"No, why?"

"I left it over here while I tested these babies." She tapped a rollerblade on the ground for emphasis. "It's a purple backpack with my name on it in big white letters and Darkwing Duck patches."

"Ooh, I'll help you look."

"We could call my phone. I have a super-loud ringtone and it's in my backpack."

Louie held out his phone to Huey, knowing the request was coming. June hit a button on her skates and they were retracted into her shoes. As she told Huey her number she unbuckled her helmet, shaking out her ponytail. A fluttery feeling started in Louie's gut. Suddenly he felt like he needed to help her.

Across the skatepark they heard the sound of the song 'Stand Out' by Powerline blaring. They could see one of the Beagle Boys carrying the backpack as he tried to run and find the phone at the same time. June quickly put her helmet back on and hit the button on her skates again as she went after the thief. Dewey and Della both took notice of what was happening and launched themselves into action. Della swooped in front of him on her board and forced him to suddenly stop. June slipped by and grabbed her backpack, using it to swing it onto her back and head back towards Huey and Louie.

"Wow…" whispered Louie. "That was cool."

"Mom's the _coolest_ ," Dewey snorted. "Of course it was cool."

"Thanks again for helping me get my bag back," June told Huey. "And thanks for letting us use your phone."

"It was no problem. Keep a better eye on your stuff."

"Usually my sister May watches it for me but she had some kind of thing today. I'll be sure to be more careful, though!" She smiled and took off her padding, sticking it back in her bag once she'd retracted her skates again.

Louie and his brothers watched her go while Della wrestled the Beagle Boy not far away. Without anyone noticing, he saved June in his contacts. She seemed like a person he wanted to talk to more often.

* * *

_**Hey, June. It's Louie.** _

_Hi, Louie! I'd ask how you got my number but that would be a dumb question._

_**Anything missing from your bag?** _

_A few snacks. I think he was hungry and saw my pretzels._

_Then he decided, 'hey, why don't I take the whole bag?'_

_**Yep, that sounds like one of the Beagle Boys.** _

_**You know, if you aren't busy tomorrow, we can hang out for a while.** _

_I'm not busy much. Except for school, which I have tomorrow._

_Wait, don't you have school?_

_**My uncle homeschools us. It's…** _

_**Complicated. We're homeschooled for complicated reasons.** _

_Ah, complications. I get it._

_So where do you want to meet?_

_**Maybe Funzo's? I don't know.** _

_Funzo's Fun Zone—where fun is in the zone._

_I never get to go there. My aunt's too busy to take us and my sisters don't care for it._

_I'd love to meet you there._

_**Cool. I'll see you at four?** _

_Perfect! See you then!_

Louie let out a sigh of relief and set his phone down.

* * *

"Why are we following him?"

"Because, Webs, he's going somewhere and didn't tell us about it," Dewey replied.

"Normally I don't condone eavesdropping or spying, but this is an exception," added Huey.

They were wearing disguises to ensure that they wouldn't be recognized immediately as they rode the bus. Louie was at the front, eyes on his phone as he texted someone with a nervous expression. He got off at the stop for Funzo's Fun Zone and that was when Webby narrowed her eyes with suspicion.

"Why would he go to Funzo's and not tell us?" she whispered.

"That's why we're here," Huey reminded her.

Instead of going inside, Louie was pacing in front of the arcade. He kept checking his phone and looking around as if he was waiting for someone. Eventually, someone came up in full purple padding wearing a backpack. Huey recognized her as June from the skate park the day before.

"It's June. He's meeting her here?"

"Who?" Dewey questioned.

"June. We met her at the skate park yesterday. Her backpack was stolen by one of the Beagle Boys?"

"Oh, okay. But why is he meeting her?"

"They're going inside!" hissed Webby, grabbing the attention of the elder two triplets.

Silently they went into the building, where they saw Louie and June talking as the latter removed her padding and put it into her backpack. Her skates were nowhere to be seen but she'd probably retracted them into her sneakers. The two headed off towards the games.

"Wait, I think… I think they're on a date!" Huey gasped.

"No way. _Louie_ went on a date before any of us?"

"Well, we don't know it's a date. How did he even get in contact with her?" Webby pointed out.

"June borrowed his phone when her backpack was stolen," the eldest triplet explained. "He must've saved her number."

"That would make sense. So what now? Do we just watch them the whole time?"

"I dunno…"

"Ugh, I hate this place," they heard a girl say.

"Can you pretend not to for ten minutes?" another girl replied. "This is important!"

They turned to see a pair of girls—one with her hair in pigtails and the other in glasses—entering the building. The one with her hair in pigtails wore a yellow blouse and a matching skirt. The one with glasses, on the other hand, donned a simple orange t-shirt and a pair of jeans.

"I don't understand why she didn't tell us where she was going," the one in yellow sighed.

"Obviously it's because you hate this place," snorted the one in orange. They looked around and Yellow pointed towards Louie and June as soon as she spotted them.

"There she is! And she's with a boy!"

"Do you know him?"

"No, do you?"

"Excuse me," Huey interrupted, walking up to them. "Might I ask who you are?"

"I could ask you the same question," Yellow responded.

"We asked first," Dewey spoke up.

"Look, we're just here to keep an eye on our sister," Orange piped in. "She's the youngest so we need to keep her safe. I'm May, by the way." She held out her hand to Dewey, who accepted her handshake.

"Hey, June mentioned you yesterday!" Huey gasped. "Her backpack got stolen—"

"She mentioned it when she got home. April here was ready to go pound that guy into the ground."

April grumbled something about personal business.

"Well, that guy she's with is our little brother," Dewey explained. "She's fine, we promise."

Webby glanced between the two sets of older siblings.

"Wait a second. Are you two part of a set of triplets, too?"

"Yep," May replied. "Wait, too?"

"Huey, Dewey, and Louie are triplets."

"Oh, cool! Triplet friends!"

April rolled her eyes.

"You guys wanna go closer and embarrass them?" Dewey snickered.

"Heck yes." May nodded.

"I can't believe we're doing this," muttered April.

"You can go if you want. I'm not making you stay."

"No, I can't. I'm the oldest so it's my job to keep an eye on you and Junie."

"Suit yourself."

The middle triplets and Webby ran off to get a closer look at Louie and June, leaving the eldest two alone.

* * *

As brilliant and sneaky as the others were, they had not gone unnoticed.

June and Louie heard their siblings talking and immediately groaned in unison. Louie grabbed her hand and pulled her to a corner where they were well out of sight of the five who'd followed them.

"I'm sorry—my sisters are really nosy," June sighed. "I wouldn't be surprised if they wanted to make sure I was 'safe' or something."

"I didn't tell my brothers anything so they got suspicious and dragged our sort-of sister into it," Louie told her. "Ugh. I should've said something so they'd leave me alone. But I couldn't think of anything to tell them. Being a triplet sucks sometimes."

"Tell me about it. I'm the baby so I have to be protected. Ugh."

They blinked and stared at each other.

"Wait, you're a triplet?" he asked.

"Yeah. The youngest and the 'evil' one."

"Same here. Guess we have that much in common, huh?"

"True. I mean, you have your mom and I'm being raised by my aunt—"

"Actually, Mom's a recent development. We were raised by our uncle for the most part."

"Whoa." She shook her head. "Wow, okay. That's weird."

"Super weird. But my family's used to weird." He put a token in the skee-ball machine and the projectiles rumbled down. June grabbed one and took aim, landing it in a fifty-point slot.

"Mine's not. The weirdest thing that's happened to us was when my aunt made it onto Emma Glamour's IT list." Louie took his turn and landed a hundred-pointer.

"I tried to get my uncle's band onto the list, but it didn't work out."

"Aw. Maybe next year. I could ask my aunt to help him out. She's Emma Glamour's personal assistant." Louie froze.

"Wait. Your aunt is Daisy Duck?!" She nodded and threw a ball. "She's dating my uncle!"

"Your uncle is Donald? He's so nice! We met him a couple weeks ago and he had no problem telling the three of us apart once he learned our names. Our teachers don't stop mixing us up until we're halfway through the year."

"I guess it comes from raising us."

"That sounds about right. He's really sweet to Aunt Daisy, too. Much more than her last boyfriend. He was a moocher." She let out a chuckle. "As soon as we figured that out we ran him off. Good riddance." She narrowed her eyes as she saw that he'd landed another hundred-pointer. "I swear you're cheating."

"I swear to you, milady, I am not."

"Are too!"

She tossed another one and they continued alternating until they ran out of balls. At that point the tickets came pouring out and June tore them off.

"So, who gets the tickets?"

"You can. I've been here enough times that I don't need anything from the prize counter."

"You're really sweet, you know that?"

"Don't tell anyone. I have a reputation to uphold."

"What reputation?"

They laughed and headed for another game, taking care to not be noticed by their respective siblings. It was a fun afternoon and at the end of it all June wound up going home with a toy panda.

This left Louie facing Huey, Dewey, and Webby, all of whom looked rather sheepish as the four rode the bus back to Killmotor Hill.

"Hey, where have you all been?" Della greeted them as they walked through the door.

"I was hanging out with a new friend of mine," Louie explained. "These three were stalking me."

"We weren't _stalking_!" protested Huey.

"We were just curious as to where he was going and who he was meeting and—nope, he's right, we were totally stalking," Webby sighed.

"Good to know. Anyway, just so you know, Donald just told me that we're having guests for dinner on Friday. Daisy's coming over with her nieces so we can all meet each other."

"Daisy has nieces?" Dewey stated, confused.

"Yeah, I was surprised, too."

Louie had to bite his tongue to keep from bursting out laughing.

"They're about your age, a set of triplets. I hope you kids can get along with each other."

She went off to her room and the others looked to Louie, who smirked.

"What's got you so happy?" Huey inquired.

"Nothing, except that I think Friday's going to go just fine."

"How do you know that?"

"Because April, May, and June are Daisy's nieces and we get along fine."

"Whoa!" Webby's eyes lit up. "That's awesome! So we don't have anything to worry about. We'll all have dinner and then everything will go great!"

"April seems kind of… standoffish," Huey pointed out.

"May and June are okay, though," Dewey added. "April's just a grump."

Louie rolled his eyes.

* * *

Friday came around and there was chaos in the house as Donald cleaned up for their guests. And at six o'clock Daisy arrived with her nieces in tow. The trio were wearing matching dresses that their aunt had obviously made and they greeted Donald warmly.

"They're so cute!" Della gushed to Scrooge as she dashed into the dining room where he was waiting. "Apparently we're not the only ones to color-code the kids."

"Calm down, Della. We won't do Donald any favors by squealing like schoolchildren."

"I just hope they get along with the boys. They could use more friends."

"Mom, we'll be fine," Louie assured her from where he was seated. "We've already met them."

"You have? When?"

"Monday. At Funzo's."

"Oh. Good! So you get along?"

"Me and June do. And I think May and Dewey, too. Not sure about April."

Before too much longer, Daisy and the girls entered the dining room with Donald. Scrooge welcomed them warmly into his home as they took their seats and dinner was served. April was the quietest kid at the table as everyone else broke the ice by talking about their interests. Donald was the one to take notice and he cleared his throat.

"So, April. Daisy said you're in drama club?"

"Yeah. A little. I don't do much because the club president doesn't like June."

"If she would stop mocking me for everything we'd have less of a problem," June pointed out.

"Who needs someone like that around?" Huey asked. "If you ask me, maybe you should just try to get the lead in the next show or something."

"I can't. It's a whole… inter-club thing. President gets the lead, always."

"Well that's just ridiculous," Scrooge snorted. "Someone should go talk some sense inta whoever's in charge."

April blinked. It was rare adults who weren't her aunt stood up for her.

"Thanks, Scrooge. I'll try talking to the teacher."

"Ya need ta have confidence in yerself, lass. Otherwise yer never gonna improve."

For the first time April had a big smile on her face.

It felt like the girls' small family had just grown a whole lot bigger.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta version of the first chapter written while I was still tweaking things. It actually sort of combines both beta versions I had with them hanging out independently and a small dinner party with both families. If it feels slapped together, well, it kind of is. I just wanted to add to the word count a bit.
> 
> I'm going to take a bit of a break to think about where to go next, but I may delve more into the future going forward or even return to the past. I really don't know right now.
> 
> So long and thanks for all the fish!


	13. A Not-Wedding at Branwen Castle (Gen-Swap 3)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Had a dumb idea for a gen-swap chapter. I may or may not reuse story beats from this down the line for a Donsy idea I had that I'm still trying to work out in my head. By the way, purely inspired by a single line from Della in the second gen-swap chapter I did and the fact I wanted to have some fun and mess with you guys. More good news is that this is a longer chapter.
> 
> Also shenanigans, evil Iris, and the first (and only) appearance of the girls' father. I do not plan on putting him in the story later.

"I'm sorry. You want us to _what_."

"Get married."

June and Louie both stared at Scrooge in confusion and horror.

"What do you mean, get married?" June snapped and Louie seemed taken aback by the hostility in her voice. She noticed and took a deep breath. "Louie, I love you, but I don't know if marriage is the best thing for us right now. This is still kinda new."

"You're not _actually getting married_ ," Scrooge sighed. "Look, there's a lost artifact that we've been searchin' for and it's located in a castle."

"I'm still not understanding," Louie replied.

"The owner of the castle doesn't want it open fer tourists. Instead she'll only let people in if they're having their wedding there. That's where you two come in. You'll pretend to be getting married and while we're all staying in the castle we can find the blasted thing. Then you can break off the engagement and we'll get our money back."

Both young adults stared at him for a minute, then June shook her head to snap herself back to reality.

"You want to run a scam? On that poor woman?"

"June, she owns a castle and charges ludicrous prices to rent the place out. I doubt she's poor."

"That's not the point! This is a scam!"

"Actually…" Louie mused.

"Don't tell me you're actually considering it."

"Look, we both know we're probably gonna get married one day, so this could be a practice run for our families. Besides, how else are we supposed to get in there? Break in?"

"Fair enough."

"I'm askin' you two because honestly, it's the most believable."

"He's got a point," June admitted. "I mean, Huey still goes tongue-tied around Gos at the _worst_ possible moments. Not that you _don't_ , but it's fewer and far between. And they haven't been together that long."

"There. Ya see?"

"You've already made the reservations, haven't you," Louie deadpanned.

"Yes, I have." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a ring that he handed over to Louie. "Pulled this out of the Bin this morning for you two to use as a temporary engagement ring. Take care of it."

"I just have one more question: do we tell our families this is fake?" June asked quietly. Scrooge sighed.

"Yer thinkin' about yer mum, aren't ya?"

"Yeah. And my dad and sisters. If they found out about this…"

"Tell 'em the necessary bits. But tell them to keep it a secret. Like it or not, F.O.W.L is also gonna be gunnin' fer the Lyre of Seasons. It has the power to control the weather, and few know it exists at all. You two figure out how to make this look good, all right?"

"Got it." Louie slipped the ring to her (it was a modest little thing that worked for her as a fake engagement ring) and she slid it on her finger as they exited Scrooge's office at the Bin.

"How long until Della notices?" June inquired half-jokingly.

"That's an oddly specific question," Louie chuckled nervously.

"She's already asked me a couple times when I'm going to officially be her aunt."

"Oh, jeez."

"Relax, Lionheart. We'll just explain it to her that this isn't a real engagement."

"Yeah, but who's gonna tell her?" The elevator arrived at the lobby level.

"I say we shove that job off on Huey and to make him feel better we let him plan this thing."

"Ah, June, I knew I loved you for a reason."

She rolled her eyes and they got out to the car. Pensively she held up her left hand. The ring glittered even in the dim light of the parking garage and she knit her eyebrows together.

"I guess I should call my dad and my sisters."

"You can do it on the drive home. I'll even talk to April."

"Louie."

"What? We all know that she's… a little bit of a diva."

"Fair enough." She shrugged and handed her phone to her boyfriend/fake fiancé. "Call April first, then."

He did, the ringing permeating throughout the car as June pulled out onto the bridge. April picked up on the fourth ring.

_"Junie! What a surprise!"_

"Hey, April. So, I have some news—"

_"Hang on. Let me put you on speaker. May and Daddy are here."_

Louie froze and sank down in his seat, hoping to disappear. Verne Duck was not the biggest fan of his youngest daughter's boyfriend, something he'd made no secret of the couple times that the two had met since they started dating.

 _"June Bug!"_ Verne greeted her warmly.

 _"Hi,"_ May added.

"Hi, Daddy. Hi, May!"

_"So, what's your news?"_

"Well…" She glanced over at Louie. "I'm here with Louie right now, and the short of it is we're getting married."

 _"OH MY GOSH!"_ screamed April, forcing Louie to scramble for the volume knob. _"MY BABY SISTER IS GETTING MARRIED!"_

"April, calm down and let me finish. It's a very complicated situation and no, Dad, I'm not pregnant."

_"Good. I'm not ready to be a grandpa again."_

_"How is it complicated?"_ May asked.

"There's a castle that has a rare artifact hidden within its walls," Louie explained. "The owner of the castle won't let people inside unless it's for weddings being held there."

_"I bet you talked her into it for a laugh."_

"DAD."

_"Sorry, June Bug."_

"Scrooge came up with the plan because someone else is going for the artifact and it'll be really bad if they get their hands on it."

 _"So it's a scam,"_ May stated.

"A little, yes. But it's for a good reason."

 _"Just tell us when to be there!"_ April squealed. _"Real wedding or not, it'll be good practice for when you get married for real! Oh, and don't forget to send me a picture of the ring, Junie. I'm sure it's got to be gorgeous!"_

"I will."

 _"Llewellyn, take care of Junie,"_ Verne warned.

"I will, sir. I care about her a lot and I won't let anything happen to her. Besides, I think she can take care of herself."

They pulled up to the gate and began the drive to the top.

_"See to it you do."_

_"We'll see you guys there!"_ May chirped.

"Love you all! Bye!"

"Bye," Louie added before hanging up. "And your dad still doesn't like me."

"Might I remind you what happened to May?"

"Ah. Right. I still wanna punch that guy. Or get Dewey to do it."

June put the car in park in its spot and they got out. She quickly took a picture of the ring to send to April before they walked up to the house. Louie slipped his hand into hers then took a deep breath.

"You ready?" Her tone was concerned but warm.

"Yeah. Time to tell the family."

They entered the house and almost immediately…

"INCOMING!"

Foam darts came flying through the air and June ducked, the projectiles suctioning to the now closed door. Della was the guilty party, grinning sheepishly from the doorway before she was tackled by Donald.

"I win!" he declared.

"Ah, but I have a partner! Get him!"

More darts came out of nowhere and hit Donald, knocking him to the floor. He let out a groan of disappointment.

"Hey, June!" Webby greeted the mechanic, lifting her night-vision goggles. "Hey, Louie!"

Della leapt up to go hug her favorite aunt. As June hugged her back, however, Della immediately felt the cool metal of something on June's left hand. She backed away, her eyes landing on the ring. Her mouth dropped open and she let out a scream that brought her father and other uncle racing into the room with Mrs. Beakley, all three looking ready to defend the family at any costs.

"Della, what's wrong?!" Huey gasped.

"UNCLE LOUIE AND AUNT JUNE ARE GETTING MARRIED!" she squealed, hopping around excitedly.

"WHAT?!" everyone yelled in complete shock.

"You're getting _married_?!" Dewey yelped.

"When did you ask her?" Huey asked.

"Is Aunt June moving in permanently?" Donald added.

"How long until the wedding?" Webby sighed dramatically.

"One at a time, please," June requested, backing away slightly. Mrs. Beakley frowned.

"This is quite sudden. You haven't been together that long."

"Well, the situation isn't… quite like that," Louie admitted. "This isn't a real engagement."

Della's face fell.

"It's not?"

"We need to get into a castle and the only legal way to do it is by having a wedding there, so Uncle Scrooge asked me and June to… pretend to be engaged."

"Aw." Della looked disappointed, so June gave her a hug.

"It's a practice run," she whispered into the little girl's ear conspiratorially. Della's face brightened again.

"So what, we're just inviting the family?" grumbled Huey.

"No, we need it to be convincing. June's sisters and dad already know and they're relatively onboard. April nearly blew out my eardrums from how loud she was on the phone."

"To make it look good," June added, standing upright, "we need someone to plan it. Huey?"

"Wait, you want _me_ to plan your sham wedding?"

"Do it!" yelled Della.

"Well, I'm not a fan of lying…"

"If we don't get to the thing, F.O.W.L will," Louie told his oldest brother. "This is to keep them from getting their hands on it."

"I guess I'll try." June's phone buzzed and she checked it.

"Oh, and April's already booked tickets for her and May to come to Duckburg to help me go wedding dress shopping." She grit her teeth. "I told her this wasn't real."

"I suppose we should all start preparing," Mrs. Beakley cut in. "Mr. McDuck will want it to happen as soon and as cheaply as possible."

* * *

Two weeks later they were in Ireland, on the road to the castle that sat on the western coast. Standing at its entrance was a dove with long silvery hair, smiling broadly as she extended her arms to welcome them.

"Hello! Welcome to Branwen Castle!" she stated as they exited the car.

"Wow…" whispered Webby, looking up at its high walls and gorgeous frame.

"My name is Rose. I presume you are the wedding party?"

"Yes, Miss Rose," Scrooge replied.

"This isn't all of your guests, correct?"

"Oh, no. Some will be arriving a little later."

"In that case, let me show you to your rooms."

They followed her inside, their luggage being brought in by mysterious footmen who'd seemingly materialized out of nowhere. She held out her arms as she opened the door.

It was everything you'd expect a well-kept castle to be—large, luxurious, and beautiful. Scrooge was reminded of Castle McDuck if he was being honest. Or perhaps McDuck Manor itself. At any rate, Rose stopped and turned to face them.

"Branwen Castle has stood here for over eight hundred years," she explained. "While it's changed hands many times over those eight centuries it fell into my family's care nearly a century ago. We've worked to maintain it and as a part of that, I chose to make it only available for visitation to those who are willing to be wed within its walls."

"According to legend," whispered Webby to Della, "Branwen was the goddess of love, beauty, spring, and inspiration. She protected married women and was even known for breaking up bad couples to give the women a fresh start."

"So romance castle."

"Yep!"

"Cool."

"Now, for your rooms…" Rose continued.

Within ten minutes, Della was jumping on the bed in her room while Webby unpacked her suitcase. Once they were unpacked they headed downstairs, where Rose showed them a small area full of toys and games for children—even video games.

As more guests arrived (April, May, Verne, Downy, Fergus, Gladstone, Fethry, Violet, Daisy, Gyro, Fenton, Manny, Launchpad, Gosalyn, and Drake), Della couldn't help but think what a shame it was for this to not be a real wedding. Louie emerged from upstairs and caught the eye of Downy immediately, who rushed to hug her grandson.

"Oh, Louie!" she crooned, squeezing him tightly. "I'm so happy for you! It's only once in a lifetime you find your person and you found her."

"If that son of ours hadn't kept ya tied up with work ya might've found her sooner," Fergus muttered.

"Maybe," Louie agreed as Downy released him.

"I'd love to meet her! Where is she?"

"Upstairs, I think. I haven't seen her since Rose shoved us off to different rooms. I'm sharing with Huey and Dewey for the first time since we were kids." He pulled out his phone and texted her. "She'll be down in a minute."

June came downstairs with Scrooge and Donald in tow. Scrooge was analyzing what he could about the castle to figure out the location of the harp but that all went out the window as soon as his parents saw him.

"Hello, Mummy, Daddy," he greeted the two.

"Scroogie! And Donald! And…" Downy's eyes went to June, who fidgeted nervously. "Who is this lass?"

"Granny, Grandpa, meet June. My fiancée," Louie stated, going to slip his hand into hers.

"Oh, isn't she just lovely?" The matriarch of the McDuck Clan grasped June's right hand between hers. "Welcome to the family, dear. I hope our Llewellyn treats you well."

"Lionheart and I are just happy you could make it, Mrs. McDuck."

"Please, call me Granny! After all, you're marrying my grandson!"

June laughed a little and Downy and Fergus disappeared down a hall as Rose came to show them where they'd be staying. Scrooge let out a breath he hadn't even known he'd been holding in.

"Good work, lass," he told June. "Keep it up."

"Your mom did most of that."

"Aye, but that's what my mum does. She knows how ta keep it upbeat. My dad, on the other hand… he's an old curmudgeon."

"Seems it runs in the family, Scroogie."

He froze and looked to see Goldie O'Gilt standing in the corner, leaning against the wall. Della gasped and she and Webby stopped playing their game to watch what was happening.

"Goldie. What are ya doin' here?"

"Relax. It's not a con, I swear. I was invited to come here."

Louie chuckled nervously, June squeezing his hand to reassure him. Goldie walked up and began looking June over. She smiled a little.

"You'll make a beautiful bride, honey. Fitting for the girl who managed to nab him."

"Thank you, Goldie," Louie sighed. "I'll be honest, I wasn't entirely sure you were going to come."

"And miss your wedding? Sharpie, why would I do that?"

He raised an eyebrow and she shrugged.

"Lovely place, though. I'm guessing there's some kind of treasure hidden here." Her eyes went to Scrooge.

"Harp of Seasons. Hoping ta get it before F.O.W.L."

"Ah, a wedding of opportunity. Well done." She clapped in approval.

"Miss O'Gilt?" Rose greeted her, walking up. "Please follow me."

"Yes, ma'am."

"I can't believe you invited Goldie," Scrooge muttered to Louie.

"First of all, Huey was in charge of the invitations. Second of all, if we hadn't, she'd have found out and come anyway."

Scrooge raised a finger to object, then shut his mouth.

"Fair enough. Keep an eye on your valuables, though."

* * *

"We made it in."

Iris set down her knapsack and cringed as Steelbeak tumbled after her, landing hard on the floor.

"Be quiet," she chided him. "We can't let that castle owner know we're here."

"Whatever. Why can't we just come in as tourists and wander away from the tour group?"

"Because the castle is only open for weddings, not tourists. Did you not pay attention to the briefing Bradford gave?"

"Uh…" She rolled her eyes and they could hear talking in the next room. Iris cracked the door open and saw none other than Louie Duck talking to his niece.

"Shoot. Scrooge's people are already here."

"What? How'd they get in if it's only open for weddings? This is dumb."

"Sh. I'm trying to listen." He crossed his arms.

"Uncle Huey said you'd be nervous about it."

"Della, of course I'm nervous. She's amazing and I'm still shocked she agreed to this. We haven't been together that long."

"But she's your soulmate!" Della's eyes were wide with excitement.

"Just enjoy yourself this week, kiddo. Let me worry about my nerves."

"If it makes you feel better, Aunt June is nervous about getting married, too."

Iris froze as Louie and his little niece walked off. She quickly closed the door and fell against it, arms splayed as her eyes were wide open with shock.

"There _is_ a wedding. The green one is getting married… to my daughter."

"No way! You have kids!"

"Three girls. If my youngest is getting married that means her father and sisters are here, too. This mission just got a lot more difficult."

"You stay here, then."

"Nope. You punch first, ask questions later. There's a lot of mystery around this castle, especially regarding intruders, and we can't risk being seen."

"Whatever. What if we pose as guests?" She blinked and snapped her fingers.

"See? This is what happens when you think. That's brilliant. I _am_ the mother of the bride, after all. You can be my plus-one."

She slipped back out the way they'd come and they went around the front, knocking on the door. A small dove opened it and blinked in surprise.

"We're here for the wedding," Iris told her.

"You are? I don't believe you're on the guest list."

"But I'm the mother of the bride. I have a right to be here." The woman narrowed her eyes, looking Iris and Steelbeak up and down.

"I'll let you in. But no shenanigans or I'll have you thrown out in an instant. I'm guessing your relationship with your daughter is less than ideal."

"Yes, unfortunately, we had a falling out." They followed the woman inside. "I just want to see my youngest married."

"Well, I'm afraid there's only one room left so you'll have to share." The woman smirked in a way that implied she knew more than she was letting on. "That won't be a problem, will it?"

"Not at all!" Steelbeak replied. "C'mon, Iris."

They headed upstairs.

* * *

Dinner had arrived, everyone seated around the massive table in the castle's dining hall. Rose's mysterious servants, none of whom ever spoke, walked around attending to the guests. Even when Della tried to talk to one of them, they said nothing and simply walked away to fill Scrooge's cup.

The door to the dining hall opened and June choked on her food when she saw who walked in. Her father leapt to his feet, eyes narrowed and blazing with fury.

"Iris…" he growled.

"Calm down, Verne," she sighed. "I'm here for Junie's wedding, same as you."

"Of course you are," Scrooge muttered sarcastically. Louie had his hand in June's, making sure she was okay as she began breathing heavily.

"I have made it clear to Ms. Duck and Mr. Steelbeak that they are to behave," Rose stated, walking into the room. "If they do not, I will have them thrown out in an instant and they will not be able to regain entry."

"I'm starving!" Steelbeak spoke up, sitting down next to Donald. The boy scooted away from him. "Hey, it's the little brawler! Excited about your uncle getting married, huh?"

"Uh… yeah…?" Donald looked uncomfortable, and the parts of those assembled who'd fought Steelbeak before were giving him looks of distrust.

Iris, on the other hand, took the only other available seat… which happened to be directly next to her ex-husband. Verne glared at her and she glared right back before grabbing what she was going to eat. June got up from the table and left without a word, Louie immediately getting up to follow her. Della attempted to do the same, but Dewey grabbed her arm and shook his head.

"Let Louie handle this," he whispered.

Outside the room, June was hyperventilating and leaning against the wall, slowly falling to a sitting position. Louie crouched beside her, holding her against him and trying to help her calm down.

"It's okay. June, breathe. Just breathe. Deep breaths." She inhaled deeply and exhaled, repeating a few times until she was back to relatively normal. "Okay. Listen. Don't let her get to you. Just focus on what we're doing here."

"Last time I saw my mother, we fought. She almost threw me off a building. How could she think showing up here was just fine for her to do?"

"She's a member of F.O.W.L. They're not exactly the most mentally sound bunch."

"True."

"The only thing is that we might have to keep this up a little longer than we thought. But I can do that."

"I think I can manage, too." She rested her head on his shoulder. "Besides, I don't think my dad will let her anywhere near me."

"Does he know what she did?"

"Yeah. That was the point where he told me that he never wanted her to come home."

"Well, at least your dad and I have that in common." She giggled and they stood back up, heading into the dining hall once again.

"Are you okay?" Della asked her aunt.

"I'm fine, Dells."

"Good."

June sat back down, trying to enjoy the rest of her meal.

* * *

The next couple days passed in a flurry of activity of trying to keep Rose convinced that yes, this was a very real wedding that was totally going to happen. And it seemed to be working. Verne refused to let Iris near June, as his youngest daughter had predicted. Daisy spent time bonding with her biological mother and grandfather while avoiding her grandmother because, oh yeah, Iris was her grandmother.

Scrooge, on the other hand, spent as much time as possible searching for the Lyre of Seasons. Dewey and Donald were helping him out since Huey and Della were both occupied with the 'wedding' planning. The day before the supposed ceremony was a rehearsal, which many of the guests looked nervous about. Verne walked June down the aisle towards Louie.

"All right," Rose stated from her place at the front. "Now is time for the vows…"

Louie's stomach twisted. Not from how close they were cutting it or the fact that Scrooge somehow had not yet found the lyre, but because part of him didn't want this to be fake. He wanted to marry June for real and that thought was terrifying because how do you bring up the fact that you want what was supposed to be a fake wedding to be your real one? He hadn't even given June a proper proposal (not that she'd appeared to care at the time).

"Llewellyn?" Rose asked. Her pronunciation of his name was strange. "Would you like to go first?"

"Uh, yeah. Just, uh, give me a second."

He hadn't prepared anything. He had thought Scrooge would've found the blasted thing by now and they'd be back in America. June gave him a gentle encouraging smile that made his stomach twist into knots all over again. Somehow he found the words and took a deep breath.

"June, when we were kids, I had a crush on you," he began. "A really big crush. And then we didn't see each other for over twenty years after you moved away. You came back into my life and suddenly those old feelings came rushing back, too. What started as a childhood crush became falling head over heels for you as an adult. You're smart and talented and beautiful and kind and… honestly, I'm a little scared for anyone who tries to hurt this family while you have a wrench in your hand." She laughed and April barely managed to stifle a squeal in the background. "I'm excited for what the future holds, and for you to officially join this family. Because I love you, June, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

June had a couple of tears in her eyes as she smiled at him, then she wiped some away.

"Jeez, how do I follow that up?"

"Just speak from the heart," Rose encouraged.

"Okay." She took a deep breath. "We were both the youngest in our families back when we were kids, and I think that helped us bond. You were always there supporting me, even when I crashed into you while testing my skates or broke my ankle doing tricks. It was hard to leave you behind but we found each other again. You've helped me find my footing and a job I truly love, not to mention a much bigger family that I never knew I needed until I had it. It means… a lot… that I'm able to be a part of all this when I was feeling alone for so long. Louie, I… I think you're one of the best people in the world and the fact that you want me to marry you is just still so unbelievable. But here we are, and I can't wait to start the rest of our lives."

"Well said, both of you," Rose complimented.

"Rings would come next," Huey stated, wiping tears from his eyes. "Then you'll be pronounced husband and wife and you'll kiss."

"Yeah, we know how it works, Huey," Louie snorted, rolling his eyes.

"I'm just saying. Anyway, that should just about do it. From there it's just a walk back down the aisle and the reception."

"So we're done?" June asked.

"Pretty much, yeah. Rehearsal dinner's not for another two hours. Go rest up because it's going to be long. Della and Dewey both insisted they're making speeches and Uncle Scrooge decided he was going to as well."

June nodded and everyone filed out of the room. She quickly grabbed Louie by the wrist and pulled him down the hall into a closet.

"What are you doing?" he whispered as he pulled on the chain to turn on the light.

"I can't do this."

"Do what?"

"A fake wedding. I can't do it."

"It's a little late for that!"

"No. I mean I don't want it to be… fake." She stared down at her feet, her hands fidgeting nervously. "I want to marry you for real. We both know we want to get married so why not make it real?"

He blinked and she froze, looking a little panicked.

"I know it's dumb and I know you're probably going to say no so I'm sorry for even bringing it—" She was cut off as he kissed her. When they broke apart, he held her close to him.

"Why would I say no?" he chuckled. "I, uh, was thinking the same thing."

"Oh. Sorry for freaking out."

"It's fine. Don't apologize." He took a deep breath. "Give me the ring."

"What?"

"If we're gonna do this for real, you're getting a proper proposal."

"In a closet?"

"It's just for us. As far as anyone else is concerned, I proposed to you at the Bin and not in a closet the day before our wedding."

She laughed, slipping the ring off her finger and handing it to him. He got down on one knee as best he could and held it up.

"June Duck, will you marry me… for real?"

"Yes, for real." He slid it back on her finger and she hugged him, laughing all the while. They stood back up and headed out to go let the family know about the change in plans.

* * *

"I'm sorry, you two are what?"

"Getting married for real," Louie repeated, squeezing June's hand.

"But what about not being ready? That was your entire hang-up about this plan!"

"Things change," June replied. "We know we want to spend the rest of our lives together and we have everything set up, so why not do it?"

"Because…" Scrooge faltered.

They had a point. There really didn't seem to be any reason to not go through with it now. Besides, it would be nice to see one of his nephews married to someone they loved who truly loved them back. Not like Dewey, who'd been left a heartbroken single father by that… he shook his head.

"Fine. But you'll have to let the others who knew the plan know."

"We will. Thank you, Scrooge."

"I think at this point you can call me Uncle Scrooge, lass."

"Well then, thank you, Uncle Scrooge." She gave him a hug and he smiled back.

Of course the rest of the guests were okay with the change in plans, even June's father. Verne only warned him to never hurt June, something that Louie had no problem agreeing to. And now that the wedding was real, it actually gave Scrooge more time to try and find the lyre before the ceremony.

However, the next morning, it was cloudy and storming. A bad omen for a wedding, usually. Scrooge went to speak to Rose, only to find her climbing the stairs to the roof with a box in her arms. She beckoned for him to follow and on the roof she opened the box to pull out… _the Lyre of Seasons_.

"You came to see this, didn't you?" she asked.

"Y-yes! How did you know?"

"I know many things, Scrooge McDuck." She began to pluck a tune, and as she did sunlight poured through the clouds, the storm banished. "I know you wish to protect this from those who would misuse it. But rest assured that there is no safer place for this than here. It has lain here longer than the castle walls and it will be here long after."

He narrowed his eyes.

"Rose… no, that's not right. Who are you really?"

"I think you know. After all, the castle is named for me."

"Branwen. Bride of the First King of Ireland and goddess of love."

"Correct." She put the lyre back. "So you can see how the lyre is safe with me."

"I agree. But I am confused."

"Tír na nÓg gets rather boring, honestly. So I spend time here instead. And nothing gives me more joy than seeing people find each other. Like your nephew and his bride." She picked up the box and motioned for him to follow. "I must thank you for coming, even if it was under false pretenses at first. Your family has provided me so much enjoyment over the past few days."

"I'll be sure to let them know."

"I'd best put this away before those two gombeens get their hands on it. I'll see you at the ceremony."

Branwen disappeared around a corner and Scrooge let out a relieved breath. The lyre was safe with a literal goddess protecting it. He headed towards Louie's room to let his nephew know that everything was fine now and they didn't have to worry about F.O.W.L after all. Louie was already dressed up and ready.

"Hey, Uncle Scrooge," he greeted him. "Storm cleared up fast."

"Yeah, about that…"

He told Louie about Branwen and when he finished, Louie let out a laugh.

"Is it weird that it makes complete sense to me? I think I'm desensitized to it by now."

"Not weird at all, lad. Ya sure you're ready to marry her?"

"If I'm not sure now, when will I ever be? I love her. This is just making it official."

"Good. I expect Donald and Della to have a cousin or two soon." Louie's face turned pink and he started spluttering, making his uncle laugh out loud. "I'm just messin' with ya, boy! You don't have to have 'em till you're ready."

"All right, old man. I'll see you again later."

Scrooge headed to check on June, who was in the process of having her hair done by Daisy and April. She looked positively radiant in her ankle-length wedding dress and minimal makeup. Webby and Della were bouncing on the bed excitedly while May was smiling at how happy everyone was.

"Everyone doin' okay?" he asked.

"I'm fine, Uncle Scrooge," June replied.

"I think Louie's gonna be at a loss for words, lass."

"I hope so."

"No, he will be," April stated, setting in the last pin. "Mark my words."

"Marking them!" Della sang, landing in a sitting position. Webby followed suit. "I'm so happy!"

"Looks like we're getting a happy ending!" giggled Daisy, sitting next to her friends. "I just kinda wish the bad guys weren't here."

"If they try anything I'm knocking Mom out," April snapped, growling. "Then I'm taking a vase to that Steelbeak guy's head."

"I can sic Donald on him," Della offered. "He kicked his butt during the whole Sword of Swanstantine thing."

"Please do, Della dear."

Down the hall, however, the rooster in question had seen Branwen take the box to its storage spot. Once she was gone he pried the door open as quietly as he could before picking up said box and opening it to find… the Lyre of Seasons.

"Crazy old lady," he chuckled. "How you gonna protect this with just a box?"

The Lyre lit up with some kind of green light, setting his hands on fire. He screamed in panic and dropped it. Behind him there was a chuckling.

"I knew ya'd fall for that, ya daft gombeen," the woman said.

"What was that?!"

"Faerie Fire. Doesn't hurt at all but it looks scary, donnit?"

"I'm taking the stupid harp!"

"Not on my watch." The lyre suddenly vanished and he growled, running to attack her. She side-stepped him with ease, causing him to land on the floor.

"I'll kill you!"

"Impossible. I cannot die." He lunged again and she was suddenly behind him. "I warned ya, Steelbeak. Cause trouble and I throw you out."

She clapped her hands and some of her mysterious servants came and picked him up. They lugged him down the stairs, him yelling and fighting against them all the way. The guests who were waiting downstairs watched with a bit of a laugh among them. Iris, on the other hand, narrowed her eyes and facepalmed before pulling out her phone to call Director Buzzard.

"Steelbeak has been thrown out."

_"Keep looking. The Lyre of Seasons cannot be taken by Scrooge McDuck."_

"Ask him what happened. I need to see this through."

_"Ah, your daughter's wedding. Might I remind you the last time you saw her before now that you nearly threw her off a building?"_

"That's irrelevant, sir. As her mother it's my duty to attend."

_"Find the Lyre during the reception then. Just find it and get out."_

She hung up.

The ceremony went without a hitch as Louie and June repeated their vows from the day before and took their rings from Donald, who'd been the ring-bearer mostly willingly. Everyone cheered as they were officially married and shared a kiss.

"JUNE'S OFFICIALLLY MY AUNT! JUNE'S OFFICIALLY MY AUNT!" Della cheered, jumping up and down excitedly. In the excitement, Iris slipped away and went to where Steelbeak had been caught. An empty box sat on the floor abandoned and slightly scorched from some kind of fire.

_The Lyre must have been in that box…_

But now where was it?

Before she could figure it out, she was carried out of the building, right past her celebrating former family. They didn't even notice that she was gone.

As for the newlyweds, it was as you'd expect from a wedding reception. Lots of dancing and music and food. The bouquet was caught by Gosalyn, who locked eyes with Huey and both of them blushed profusely. It was really the perfect kind of day.

Branwen approached the two with a smile.

"Hello," she greeted them.

"Hello, Branwen," Louie replied.

"I just wanted to offer my sincere congratulations. Honestly, you managed to trick me, which doesn't happen often."

"Trick you?" June repeated.

"Most of the time when a scammer comes through those doors I can tell in an instant whether or not the wedding is genuine. But I didn't realize yours was fake until I overheard you yesterday. All I can really say is that I'm glad you realized that this was meant to happen." She grinned broader. "I _am_ a goddess of love, after all."

"Thank you for everything," Louie told her.

"Just enjoy yourselves, okay?"

Branwen walked away and Della ran up, nearly tackling her aunt and uncle in a hug.

"Hey, Dells," June laughed.

"This was an awesome wedding. I've never been to one before!"

"I doubt it'll be the last, if Huey and Gos are any indication," Louie joked.

"Ooh, another aunt. Should I start making plans for that?"

"Let them figure it out on their own. We did, and look where we are."

It was a good place for a new beginning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WHOO OKAY
> 
> MAKING THIS QUICK BEFORE I LEAVE FOR WORK.
> 
> Branwen is a real goddess. Look her up.
> 
> Thanks to ducks-gen-swap for letting me bounce this idea off you and listening to my rambles. This chapter is almost twenty pages long and I hope you all enjoyed.
> 
> So long and thanks for all the fish!


	14. Gotta Make the Good Times Last

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by the show 6teen. Available to watch on YouTube for free.

Having a job at the mall wasn't the worst thing in the world, Louie thought.

Sure, he had to deal with the Karens and Kevins of the world. Stupid people who made even stupider demands of him, the humble retail employee. But there were benefits. For one he didn't have to come in a back entrance to go to work. He could just walk through the front doors of the mall. There was also the fact that his brothers worked in the same place, which made things even easier. One drop-off, one pick-up. That wasn't even mentioning the fact that Webby and June worked at the mall as well.

Currently, things were pretty dead, so he was standing behind the register while he waited for customers to come in. Their store mostly sold books, movies, CDs, and a variety of toys and board games. He let out a sigh of boredom.

"Excuse me?"

He looked up to see a bear woman approaching. She had blonde hair up in a bun and a low-cut top.

"Yes, ma'am?" he asked.

"How much for this?" She held up a book he recognized from May's room—a Player's Handbook.

"Twenty-five. You're gonna need more than that, though."

"My son wants to start playing. What else does he need?"

"Just some dice. We sell them over on those shelves. You also may want to find him a group because it can be hard to learn on your own."

"Oh, you play?"

"Yeah. It's fun." He got himself into pitch mode. "Actually, ma'am, your best bet would be to get him one of our big sets of dice. And a starter kit. It'll help him get started in the best way possible. A little more pricy, but if he can get into this game it's worth it."

"Thank you, young man!" She smiled. "I'll go over and look at the sets now."

She went off and he sighed. Without fail she came back within five minutes and dropped fifty bucks between the book, the kit, and the dice. Then she was gone. He checked his watch—still fifteen minutes left on his shift.

"You got a date?" asked his manager Greg. Greg was a balding duck in his forties.

"Yeah, later."

"Still dating that June girl from the skate shop?"

Louie blushed a little. Even after five-and-a-half months of dating he still got flustered when people asked him about June. He supposed it came from the whole thing still not feeling real. Greg gave him a smile.

"Honestly, Louie, you can go early if you want."

"Wait, really?"

"Sure! You're one of my best workers. I can handle things until your replacement gets here."

"Thanks, Greg."

"No problem. Go clock out."

He quickly went and grabbed his backpack in the back, shoving his lanyard into it and throwing on his hoodie. A goodbye was said to Greg and he headed out into the massive Duckburg-St. Canard Mall. It was a true marvel, even having a small amusement park within its walls. Normally when he got off work he'd go to the food court to meet up with everyone else, but he knew June's shift didn't end for another ten minutes and she wasn't far away. She was busy with a customer, so he slipped behind a shelving display and watched as the guy talked to her.

"You're not hearing me." He crossed his arms. "I want someone who actually knows something about skateboards. Not some little girl."

"I'm sorry sir," she replied. Louie smirked from behind the display. "My manager is in the back. I can go get her for you."

"No. Isn't there a man I can speak to?"

"I'm afraid not. Currently it's only me and my manager. If you'll come back tomorrow there should be someone more suited to your sensibilities."

"Finally. Thank you. I'll come back tomorrow." He stomped out of the store and Louie slid out from behind the shelves. June had her head on the counter where she'd rested it after the idiot left, not looking up as he approached.

"I'm afraid I'm not interested in anything, miss," he told her. "Unless, of course, it's your phone number."

She looked up, looking like she wanted to laugh and groan at the corny pickup line.

"Louie, I thought you were done at three."

"Greg let me out early. Coolest manager ever."

"Well, I'm not done for another few minutes." She narrowed her eyes. "I'm not blowing off work."

"I figured. I just came to watch my drop-dead gorgeous girlfriend in action."

"Aw."

"June, I don't pay you to flirt," Jenny the manager stated, sticking her head out of the back room.

"Sorry, ma'am," Louie called. "I was the one doing the flirting. Don't blame her."

He gave his usual charming smile and the twenty-something quickly disappeared again. June had to stifle a laugh. She then checked her watch and saw the time, which was my-damn-shift-is-over o'clock.

"I'll be back in a minute. Gotta clock out."

"I'll be waiting."

Within five minutes they were on their way to the food court, where Webby was working her shift at The Lemon. Dewey, Huey, and Gosalyn were already there, sitting and talking. Gosalyn waved at her female best friend as they approached.

"Hey, any luck for you guys finding jobs?" June asked, taking her seat.

"Not yet," sighed Dewey.

"Wait, I thought you were working at that burger place," Louie replied.

"Got fired. Apparently, I was 'too overzealous', whatever that means."

"I told you that every job has a probationary period," Huey groaned. "If you want to last you have to make it through that by playing by the rules."

"Dewey Duck does not play 'by the rules'."

"What about you, Gos?" June inquired.

"I… got hired somewhere."

"Really? Where?"

"I'm not saying." She avoided everyone's gazes. "I hate it but it's money. And while Dad's stipend from S.H.U.S.H is nice, I figured I need to start helping out as soon as possible."

"Does _he_ know where you work?"

"No. And he never will."

"So, this won't make you feel better but," Huey chuckled nervously, tapping his fingers on the table, "I'm working at the ice rink."

"Okay, I love you, but I hate you."

"Gos!"

"I wanted to work there. It'd be better than—" She cut herself off before she could reveal where she was working.

"I'm happy right here!" Webby chirped. "I get to see all kinds of people and make them happy with fresh-squeezed lemonade."

"Webs, this isn't a good job," Dewey told her. "It's like, the worst."

"What are you talking about? I love it!"

"You don't have to pretend."

Louie checked his watch and stood up.

"Well, we gotta get going," he told his brothers and friends. "Movie starts at four and we wanna get good seats."

"We'll see you guys later," June added before following him.

"My shift starts at four, too," Huey piped up. "See you guys later."

"Bye," Gosalyn said, getting up.

Dewey was left alone with Webby, who was closing up since The Lemon closed at three-thirty. He tapped his chin, then grinned at his best friend.

"Hey, Webby. You wanna have some fun?"

"Sure! What kind of fun?"

"Let's follow Gosalyn and find out where she works."

"Are you sure? She seems very adamant about keeping it a secret."

"It's either that or we go follow Louie and June. Huey's going to be boring."

"Mm… all right."

She shut it down and took off her apron, exiting to follow Dewey. They found Gosalyn walking along towards an escalator. As soon as she was halfway up they went up behind her. It was a very convoluted route, surely meant to confound anyone who followed her, but Dewey and Webby weren't exactly normal people. They kept following and eventually they came to somewhere Gosalyn constantly ranted about, a place that was called the end of all that is good in the world.

The Pretty in Pink, known otherwise as the PiP.

"No way," Dewey whispered, staring.

"I can't believe it!" gasped Webby. "She hates this place! Why would she work here?!"

"I dunno! Let's go in. Okay, you're the eager shopper and I'm your boyfriend you're dragging along to this place."

"Got it." She stood up and they went inside. Gosalyn had disappeared into the back, but her coworkers—Ashley, Ashleigh, and Ashton—were there smiling.

"Welcome to the PiP!" Ashton sang. She was the manager and a bubbly blonde.

"Thanks! We're just looking around," Webby stated, grabbing Dewey by the wrist and going over to a display of sweaters. She pretended to browse while Dewey kept an eye out for Gosalyn.

Said girl emerged from the back room without her signature jacket and hoodie, instead wearing a bright pink T-shirt that matched that of the Ashes (as Dewey had taken to calling the three girls in his head). Her name tag said 'GOSALYN' in pink sparkle letters. She had a box in her arms and an expression that said she was dead inside. The box was taken over to a display where she began to take clothes out and fold them neatly.

"Oh my gosh, she _is_ working here," Dewey whispered.

"I like some of the stuff here but it's too pricy," Webby whispered back.

"Webby."

"Right." She nodded and they began to head for the door.

Across the room, Dewey made eye contact with Gosalyn, whose expression became one of horror. She nearly dropped the jeans she was folding but managed to catch herself in time, folding them perfectly.

* * *

"There's no way."

Huey crossed his arms behind the counter.

As soon as they'd left the PiP, they'd gone to the ice rink to tell Huey. They would've told Louie and June, but by that point the two were in the theater and Dewey didn't want to waste money on a ticket just to tell his brother where their other brother's girlfriend worked. They'd find out later. April liked the Pretty in Pink. She'd probably spot Gos in there before long, anyway.

"Believe what you want, big brother," Dewey replied. "We saw what we saw."

"Gosalyn hates that place. Like _actually_ hates it. Why would she even _apply_ there?"

"I dunno—she wants a job? And they were the only ones who would take her?"

"I still say you're making this up."

"Whatever. Believe it or not, she was working there."

"Yeah, I'll believe it when I see it. And I'm not going right now because I have work."

"Boo, you're boring."

"C'mon, Dewey," Webby sighed. "Let's go get some fries or something."

They wound up in the food court, where Webby went to order some dinner for the two of them. Dewey waited outside, leaning against a wall while he checked his phone. Next thing he knew, someone yanked him into a corner and pinned him to the wall with their forearm against his neck.

"Listen here, Dewford," snapped Gosalyn, fire in her eyes. She was back in her hoodie and jacket. "I don't know what you think you were doing back there, but if you value your tongue you won't tell _anyone_ what you saw! Especially not Huey. Are we _clear_?!"

He nodded, terrified. She released him.

"Good. I'll see you later."

She walked away and he slumped against the wall, shaking. Webby walked up with a tray of food in hand, giving him a confused look.

"Hey, Dewey. What's up?"

"I have seen the face of madness and I shall never unsee it."

"Okay. Cool! Well, your food's gonna get cold. C'mon."

Dewey followed her, his eyes traveling to where Gosalyn was ordering food. A shudder rippled down his back and he continued over to the table where Webby set down the tray.

* * *

June sighed as she and April entered the Pretty in Pink.

"I told you, I don't need anything new."

"It's your six-month anniversary," April sighed. "You _need_ to look nice. What are you two doing?"

"Dinner and a movie. I'm paying for the movie and he's paying for dinner so it's an even split."

"Well, you should dress up a little. I'm not saying you have to wear a full dress, but a nice shirt and skirt would be nice."

"Okay, fine. I know you're not going to leave me alone until I let you do this." She saw a flash of red hair out of the corner of her eye.

_Wait, was that… no. Couldn't be._

It had been nearly two weeks since Gosalyn had told them about her job, and in that time nobody had figured out where she worked. June hadn't pressed the issue since clearly her best friend was embarrassed and didn't want them to know.

"How about this?" April held up a pale purple sweater with a diamond pattern in a band across the chest. "Pair this with a black skirt and it's perfect for a date. Oh, and you'll need the right makeup, too."

"I'll try it on but I don't make any promises."

June took the sweater from her older sister and they went to the dressing room. Ashleigh gave them her demented smile that always made June want to _never come there again_. April went to go find more options while June was changing. It was then she took notice of a redhead hiding behind one of the sales racks.

"Gos? Is that you?"

"Oh, hey, April!" She smiled, clearly nervous.

"Smiling at customers!" Ashley gasped. "Good, but you could look less uncomfortable."

"Thank you, Ashley, I know her."

"Okay then!" Ashley skipped off to go help someone else. Gosalyn sighed.

"I guess the cat's out of the bag, now. Dewey kept his mouth shut like I told him to, at least."

"I can't believe you're working here," April commented. "Does June know?"

"No. Nobody but Dewey and maybe Webby. Why are you here?"

"June and Louie's six-month anniversary is tomorrow night and June's dressing up whether she likes it or not."

"Ouch. Big sister laying down the law."

"April?" June called.

"Speaking of big sister, duty calls. See you later."

Gosalyn slipped into the back, telling Ashton she was taking her break.

There was no _way_ she could threaten April the way she'd threatened Dewey. April was a little more… fragile. Not as rough-and-tumble as June, Webby, and the boys. She could hold her own in a fight but preferred to stay out of the thick of it, using her runes to fend off attackers. Oh, yeah, and Gosalyn didn't want to be slow-roasted by April's magical abilities should she chance threatening her.

And Gosalyn was right.

After they bought the sweater and skirt, April and June headed down to the food court to meet up with Huey. Webby was working at the Lemon and Louie and Dewey were nowhere to be found.

"He dragged Dewey off to help him shop for some kind of gift for you," Huey explained.

"I already got him his," June said with a shrug, sitting down.

"Oh, Huey! I have something to tell you!" April told her fellow oldest.

"What?"

"I took June to Pretty in Pink and while we were there, you'll never guess who was on the sales floor!"

"Was it someone I care about?"

"Yes. Very much. It was Gosalyn, working there." June choked on the lemonade she was drinking.

"I _thought_ I saw her! She ducked out of the way when we went in, didn't she?!"

April glanced at Huey, who had a mixture of shock, anger, and disbelief on his face.

"Hey, you okay?"

"I… need to go somewhere." He quickly got up from the table and nobody followed him. They already knew where he was going.

When he got to Pretty in Pink, he saw Gosalyn was at the register, finishing up with a customer. They locked eyes as soon as the customer moved and she looked away, ashamed.

"Gos, you work _here_?"

"Yes, I do," she huffed, slowly starting to look at him again. "It was the only place I applied to that accepted me. And now you get why I didn't want to tell you; it's humiliating."

Huey gave her a compassionate smile and approached the counter closer.

"Hey, I understand why you felt like you needed to hide it, but believe me you didn't have to. Not from your dad or from June and especially not from me. I don't really care where you're working." He looked around. "It is surprising though. You. Here. Good thing I didn't bet with Dewey."

Gosalyn's eyes got wide, but before she could swear against her future brother-in-law, they were interrupted.

"Hello, sir!" greeted Ashleigh, walking up. "Need help finding a gift for your girlfriend?"

"No, I came to talk to my girlfriend." Ashleigh looked from Gosalyn to Huey and gasped.

" _You're_ dating her?!"

"Got a problem with that?" questioned Gosalyn.

"No, I'm just shocked! It's so cute!" She clapped her hands a little and went off, presumably to tell Ashley and Ashton.

"Sorry," Gosalyn murmured.

"Hey. At least you don't have to hide it anymore. And if you want to, you can complain all you want about how terrible it is."

"Yeah, I guess." She gave him a smile and he smiled back.

Then they noticed the Ashes were watching as if it were their own personal soap opera.

Gosalyn let out a sigh.

* * *

It didn't take long for everyone to know where Gos was working.

She was teased about it, sure, but only because of how frequently she'd mocked and complained about the place. Heck, she _still_ complained about it but now she had knowledge of the inner workings. It made her complaints much more focused. Hockey season had also started up, so she was starting that as well. That was when a bigger issue began to become much more obvious to her boyfriend and her best friend.

June, despite being the youngest in their group, was the mom friend. She did what a mom would do frequently, like bringing snacks and making sure everyone was okay. Dewey teased that it was good practice for whatever kids she'd probably have in the future. At any rate, it made her incredibly protective of her friends and family. Huey was similar in that regard, especially when it came to Gosalyn.

For June, she figured out something was going on thanks to a gut feeling. And Huey knew something was wrong thanks to the fact that Gosalyn was becoming even more violent during her hockey games. June didn't fail to notice, either, and she was just as concerned. Neither of them could figure out what was going on and talking to Gos didn't help at all. She was firmly clammed up about what was making her more aggressive than usual, and what made it worse it that her aggression wasn't just hurting other people on the ice. It was hurting her.

Nobody knew what was happening until June went to talk to Gosalyn at work.

"Hi, welcome to Pretty in Pink!" Ashton greeted her. "Let me know if you need any help!"

"I will," June replied.

She began walking towards the back and the back of her neck prickled as she spotted who was talking to Gosalyn. It was Sara Chandler, the embodiment of everything that June hated in a person. Out of a need to figure out what was happening, she hid behind a nearby display and listened in.

"…like I said, we don't have that color in that size," Gosalyn stated, clearly exasperated.

"I _know_ you do. Whatever I want, I usually get, Gosalyn."

"Usually. But this is one of those times where you won't."

"Hmph. We'll see about that. You know, you're really bad at your job. It's a wonder you haven't been fired yet with that fashion sense you have outside of work."

"Sara…"

"I'm just being honest. Maybe working here will help you attract more than some nerd who sleeps with a Junior Woodchuck Guidebook under his pillow. At the very least you'll have more sense in your style than that grease monkey you call your best friend."

"Leave them out of this," Gosalyn groaned, really holding back from not punching the other girl in the face. "Your problem is with me right now and I can't figure out why. It's a sweater. Literally we have dozens."

"And my problem is that you're incompetent as a worker. I'll be back tomorrow and you'd _better_ have it in stock."

Sara turned and flounced out of the store. As soon as Sara was out of sight and she made sure her manager wasn't looking, Gosalyn grabbed a sweater and screamed into it, nearly tearing it apart in the process. June stepped out of her hiding place and tapped her best friend on the shoulder.

"What?!" Gos snapped, whirling around. Her eyes widened upon seeing June… or more specifically, June's expression. "June? You okay?"

"No." Her voice was low but brimming with anger. "How long has she been doing that?"

"A few weeks? It's fine. I can handle it."

"It's not _fine_ , Gos. She's the worst and you shouldn't have to deal with her. I'm the one who's best at taking her down."

"That's exactly why I _didn't_ tell you. She's doing it to get to you and letting you know would be giving her exactly what she wants. You just got done dealing with her and I didn't want to drag you into it."

"Okay. Fine. But I'm telling Huey. He's been worried sick for weeks over what's going on with you."

"I already feel bad enough about that… but even if I asked you not to, you'd tell him, wouldn't you?"

"He's basically my brother. And you're my best friend. If you're not going to let me help, somebody else has to because clearly you're not doing well."

"You noticed?" There was a tone to her voice that told June she was trying to joke around.

"I had a feeling something was wrong. I just didn't know what until now. I think Huey might be able to help you within the rules and without beating Sara into a bloody pulp with a pair of skates."

"Well… if you think it'll work… I guess we can give it a shot."

"Great. You finish your shift. I'm getting the other angry triplet."

June rushed out of the store, not even acknowledging Ashleigh saying goodbye to her. She made it to the ice rink, where Huey was cleaning pairs of ice skates and seemingly not paying attention to anything. To get his attention she slammed her fist on the counter, startling him and almost making him drop the skates and cloth.

"June! What are you doing here?"

"I found out what's going on with Gos and I need your help because she won't let me do it."

"Wait, what's happening?"

"Sara. It's Sara. She's been tormenting Gos at work and Gos can't do anything because she'll get fired."

Huey slammed down the cleaning cloth and growled.

"That…" He shook his head. "You saw her? You saw it?"

"Yeah. I did. She's calling both of _us_ out to get to her."

He took a deep breath. Then he tapped his chin and pulled out his phone, tapping out a text to Gosalyn.

_**After work, bring me your employee handbook. There's a policy in mine on abuse from customers. There might be one in yours.** _

"You got it?" June asked.

"Of course. You prep for what _you're_ going to do to Sara."

"I know what I'm gonna do already."

They silently nodded to each other.

* * *

"This is it?"

"Yep." Gosalyn looked at the binder she'd been given upon hire. "How do we find the customer policy?"

"Give me a minute." He opened it up and began to flip through it. Within moments he'd found the page.

"Wow. That was impressive."

"It's surprisingly well-organized. Well, according to the policy, if a customer comes in and repeatedly abuses staff, they can be banned from the location at the discretion of the manager. So you need to talk to Ashton."

"Sara's one of our biggest customers. How do I know she won't take her side?"

"It's worth a shot. Worst comes to worst, you start applying again and find a new place as soon as possible."

"I'll give it a try. I just…" She sighed, resting her head on Huey's shoulder. He didn't need a lead to hug her with one arm. "I'm exhausted from just the past few weeks. How did June put up with this crap for years?"

"Well, the difference is that you want to keep your job, or at the very least get a good reference so you can get a better job."

Gosalyn nodded. She'd try this idea and hope that Ashton took her side.

And the next day, Gosalyn went up to Ashton before she clocked in.

"Hey, Ashton."

"What's up, Gos?" Ashton smiled.

"I'm… having an issue with one of our regulars."

"What kind of issue?"

"Well… she's been harassing me and pushing me around." Ashton pursed her lips, appearing to be in thought.

"Has there been verbal abuse?" There was no sunshine in Ashton's voice.

"Yeah. A little."

"How many times?"

"For a few weeks now, actually. She's supposed to come in today to get a sweater in a specific color—"

"Ah. Say no more. I'll keep an eye open."

"You're… helping?"

"Gosalyn, you might not have Ashley and Ashleigh's bubbly personalities, but you're a good worker with a good head on your shoulders. You have a work ethic that they don't. And I don't want to lose one of my best employees because of a rude customer. So yeah, I'll help you out."

"Thanks, Ashton."

"No problem."

Sara came in within half an hour of Gosalyn being on the clock. She marched right up to her verbal punching bag and stood with her arms crossed.

"Well? Do you have what I asked for?"

"No, ma'am. We do not have that color in stock."

"I said yesterday that you'd _better_. Jeez, you're as useless as your best friend." Gosalyn took a deep breath, silently counting backwards from ten in her head. "I want to speak to your manager."

"I'm right here," Ashton spoke up, appearing between them. "What's the problem?"

"Your employee is useless."

"I'm sorry you think that. However, I was recently informed that you have been verbally abusing and harassing Gosalyn here for weeks. According to store policy, repeated counts of verbal abuse and harassment is grounds for banning a customer at the manager's discretion. As sorry as I am to lose your business, I cannot afford to lose good employees. Miss Chandler, you are banned from Pretty in Pink."

Sara's mouth dropped open and she sputtered.

"W-well…! Ugh!"

She whirled around, stomping out of the store.

* * *

June checked her watch. Sara would be arriving any minute now.

"Ugh. June," the queen bee spat. "What do you want?"

"I heard what you said to Gos." Sara blinked.

"How is that any of your business?"

"Because she's my best friend. Now you listen here. I don't like you and you don't like me. That's fine. But you _cannot_ take it out on my family and friends. You do it again and you'll find out why our roller derby team is currently undefeated. Are we clear?" Her eyes were narrowed and Sara let out a sigh.

"Fine. Family and friends are off-limits, grease monkey."

"Good." She nodded.

A truce between old enemies…

Dewey happened to be walking up at that moment when June made her threat.

"Whoa," he remarked as Sara walked away. "Why are both my brothers dating scary girls?"

"Because," June replied with a grin.

"That's not a reason."

"Yes it is."

"No it's not!"

"Let's get to class."

"Wait!" He ran to keep up with her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not much to say. Updates will become sporadic from now on, but I'll try to give you longer chapters.
> 
> So long and thanks for all the fish!


End file.
